SoS
by MsMoon
Summary: Moving can be hard enough, but Joanna moved to the corner of no and where to sort through her baggage and de-stress, while gaining the confidence she needs for her career. She doesn't mind the furry neighbors, but coping isn't her strong suit
1. Chapter 1

Aaaand, I have a something here... Not sure what. This is just sort of ... a guilty pleasure, if you will :) Dunno where it's going exactly, but I'm told that's half the fun.

Please do enjoy...

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><p>The house smelled strange. Not strange as in toxic from mold or that dusty smell, because that would mean that there was <em>something<em>, and if something was there at all, it would at least feel more normal...The strangeness that permeated the house was a distinct lack of scent. The kitchen lacked any traces of food being cooked or otherwise, the bathroom did not smell like perfumes or hair spray, the family room didn't smell of worn fabrics, and the bed rooms lacked any individual scent, whether it be candles or incense or simple body order. The house was as barren as tombs. That's what was strange about it, Joanna decided as she lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling.

She'd _finally _managed to get all of the boxes moved off of that U-Haul truck and in here. She had happily returned it and paid the balance owed. After returning 'home' and locking up, she'd damn-near collapsed in a heap on the floor from the exhaustion of it all. She could feel every article of clothing on her was soaked in sweat, something she had failed to notice as she had been moving about during the day. And as she lay on the floor, panting slightly, she couldn't help but notice the stale air in the house. She took in a great breath and held it for a moment before letting it all out in a dramatic 'whoosh!'. Laying about like this wasn't going to help her get unpacked any more than staring at the truck would've helped her to unload it all. She was truly proud of herself as she'd managed to unload her possessions in under eight hours, and she hadn't even had to call Uncle J's office for help. That certainly should be an accomplishment.

Craning her arms above her head she let out a 'hyah!' as she swung her arms up, using the momentum to pull herself into a sitting position. With another 'hyah!' she folded a leg under her, another 'hyah!' saw a foot planted on the ground and a final 'hyah!' saw her standing in a crouched position. There was a slow straightening out period accompanied by an almost elderly sounding groan. Her lower back was throbbing.

'_Just a bit longer.' _ she reminded herself - a familiar mantra she'd repeated throughout the day - before staggering off to the kitchen. She had unpacked the 'perishables' first, after she had made sure the fridge was plugged in. She'd also made sure that her microwave was unpacked (thank God). She opened the fridge door and leaned against the top freezer to inspect its contents. So... she had sandwich stuffs, left-overs, something Momma had fixed 'for later' (and probably best to save for when the work was all done), milk and water. Nothing was really thrilling her though. Still, the cool fridge felt nice. Then her eyes fell on some of the boxes in the kitchen. She casually grabbed a cooled bottle of water before closing he fridge door and sauntering over to one of the boxes. The box was adorned with smiley faces and said in silly script 'for hard times!'.

"Ha!" She cried, giggling gleefully as she opened the box and found several dozen cans of Chef Boyardee. "Sketti and meatballs for me!" she cheered triumphantly, happily mispronouncing 'spaghetti' as she always had. Another properly labeled box produced bowls and plates. After rinsing a bowl off (just in case dust had managed to settle) she was all set for a meal...until she remembered utensils. While the meal was heating, she hunted up her silverware.

She let herself fall onto the stiff sofa with an 'ooffa' before laying into eat her meal. She slurped and munched happily, staring about at the beige walls. She was going to have to repaint every room in the house...eventually. There were more chief concerns, of course, but she really had to do something about this starkness. Thus far, all the walls were this pale beige...neutral, yes, but not her at all. She wasn't complaining in the least! This house was owned by her extended family, and she was very lucky to be getting it at all. But things would just have to change before the place really suited her. Her new house was at the end of a dead end road (literally. Her mailbox was right next to the Dead End sign and her 'drive way' just beside that), but she was still just off the main drag (if you could call it that) and a 10 minute walk away from the beach. Really, how much more could she ask for?

After finishing off her bowl of spaghetti and meatballs (very nearly licking the bowl too) and guzzling down the entire bottle of water, she debated her next move. There really were only two options. Stay here and sort through things, or go on down to the beach. She sighed, looking about at all the boxes.

'_Not gonna unpack themselves.'_ She reminded. She'd work a little bit more on small things tonight. She'd done quite a bit, and she knew she'd be hurting tomorrow. So, she unpacked her dishes and silverware fully, making sure they were in their proper place. She made sure to hunt up the coffee maker too, with all it's components. That would be an absolute necessity come morning. After making sure the right boxes were at the very least in the right rooms and unpacking a few other things, she gave up and meandered into the bedroom. Stan and Cassandra had come three days ago, and she was thanking her lucky stars for that. They'd brought a sofa, a washer and dryer, but more importantly, her bed and nightstands. She quickly unpacked her clothes, placing them in the closet or (in the case of her unmentionables) the nightstands. Then she unpacked her bathroom things, followed immediately by the two or three sheet sets she owned. She quickly put some sheets on her bed before staggering into the bathroom.

After peeling off her clothes, she stepped into the shower. It wasn't big, but it was enough for her. She lingered a bit more than she probably would've otherwise, but after the day she'd had, she figured she'd earned it. When she was having a serious problem standing without added support from the wall, she finally got out and dried off. She absently patted her long copper colored hair, now dark auburn from being drenched, wondering if it'd be in fits of knots when she awoke. She managed to slip on a pair of low-rise panties and a sleeveless tank top before collapsing into bed. She looked over, perhaps in the habit of turning her bed-side lamp off, and saw a large picture propped up on the nightstand of the family in Momma's living room. She smiled fondly.

"'Night, er'body." She mumbled into her pillow before sleep claimed her.

* * *

><p>The first thing she noticed, was the light... of course. But once she'd finally managed to pry her eyes open, she mused that the light must have been there quite a while before she was alerted to its presence. Indeed, the sun was very high, and the room was lit only by filtered rays of light. Her first effort to move ended in a very fish-like flounce accompanied by a groan.<p>

Not. Good.

Upon a second attempt to reach the vertical plane, she managed to simply roll herself out of bed, planting her feet on the floor and leaning into an upright position. She would have considered it a small accomplishment, if agony didn't seep through every fiber of her being. After doing another realistic zombie impersonation, she finally managed to get to the kitchen and start on breakfast.

It was slow going, considering that she preferred a bigger breakfast, but at last she was sitting at her 'snack bar'. Not that she was feeling quite at 100% yet, but at the very least, she wasn't as sore as she had felt when she was simply laying in bed. Still, food always helped, or at least that was Momma's motto. So, there she sat. After slicing up her two eggs, she mixed the nearly flavorless grits into the sloppy mess. She crumbled two pieces of bacon into the grit/egg mash and began to take bites of the mixture immediately accompanied by a bite of breakfast sausage and/or buttered toast.

After finishing her breakfast and starting on her second cup off coffee, she realized that her cell phone was dying. So, she grabbed the wall charger and plugged it in. Immediately, the red battery began to flash in the corner and she sighed in relief as the words 'charging' came across the screen. She also noticed the message icon signaling a new text.

'_Glad 2 know ur safe! Stan & Cassie r still around if u need something. Don't spend all day unpacking! U need 2 go 2 the beach & relax, Ducky :D XO'_

She smiled at the message from Momma. The beach...yes, she would have to go to the beach eventually. But first she had to get something done. Time for play could come later. Not responding to the text would be unthinkable, even if there really wasn't much to respond with. She quickly texted back, _'3 3 3' _ before leaving her phone to charge in peace.

With a sigh she surveyed the unpacked boxes. Really, the kitchen was almost entirely set up. A few things that weren't really necessary were still in boxes. As they weren't necessary, they could wait. Her bedroom was much the same. After unpacking her bathroom stuffs, clothes and bedding, what else was necessary? Not much. So all the was left was her work space and the living room. The living room could wait, she decided as she grabbed her coffee mug and headed into the spare bedroom. She wanted to get most of her work space set up today.

* * *

><p>The forest floor blended into a seamless carpet, the trees the only breaking post for the light to filter through. All the scents were those that belonged... that was...good. Quil gave a tiny huff of boredom. Even a good run wasn't as satisfying as it used to be. Not one whiff of a sucker for miles, or at least nothing non-Cullen.<p>

'_Honestly, Quil. That's a good thing.'_ Seth reminded via pack link.

'_Say what you want, Pup. I'm with Quil on this. Would be nice to get _some_ action considering.'_ Embry groused.

'_Yeah.' _Quil seconded. _'At least when those suckers from Italy came we had a chance to shred vampire.'_ There was a note of aggravation from Seth's end of the connection. _'Oh, so sorry. A chance to shred _bad _vampire.'_ He felt Embry's amusement at the mix up as well.

The distinct sound of another presence in the pack bond occurred before Leah budded in. _'I miss anything?_' she asked.

'_Nothing but your brother's whining.'_ Embry informed.

'_Hey!'_

'_Nothing new then.'_ she thought back.

They could almost see Seth pouting. _'I do _not_ whine.'_ he demanded.

'_Whatever you say.'_ Embry shot back.

'_So, we're having a bonfire tonight.'_ Leah interrupted in order to stop a pointless quarrel.

'_Awesome.'_ Quil thought, looking forward to it.

'_Whatever.'_ was Embry's answer.

'_What's your problem, Embry?' _Seth asked.

'_Nothing. It's just, we're _always _ having bonfires. Haven't you noticed? I mean, can't we do something else for a change?'_

'_It's not like La Push is the land of opportunity, Bro.'_ Quil reminded. _'And first beach _is_ the cheapest form of entertainment. It's perfect for our budgets.'_

'_Yeah, but you've been like this through your shift, Embry.'_ Seth pointed out. _'It isn't just the bonfire. What's up?'_

'_Nothing more than the usual.'_ Embry said in return. _'If it's alright, I think I'm gonna phase back and get some sleep.'_

'_Not a problem.'_ Leah said confidently.

'_See you tonight?'_ Quil clarified.

'_Sure.'_ Came the glum reply, and then he was gone.

'_Hey, anyone know if something's going on with the old Moorfield place?'_ was Quil's next thought.

'_Nothing I'm aware of.'_ Leah said. _'Why? Something up?'_

'_Just smells different...cleaning stuffs and such… and something else I can't single out. Like someone's there. I'll check it out on my way in.'_ Quil informed.

'_You need backup or anything?'_ Seth asked eagerly.

'_Nah. I got this.'_ with that he slowed down, carefully sneaking to the dilapidated and half collapsed fence so he could peep through the sizable holes therein. _'Huh...that's new.'_ he thought, noting the freshly cut grass. Sounded like someone inside was singing too.

"In spring time!" The girl who was remodeling the place pranced outside, with a hanging pot in her hand. She was wearing...what appeared to be blue and green plaid men's boxer shorts and a light blue wife-beater...her rusty-red hair was tied back tightly in a high ponytail and her light blue eyes were practically sparkling with glee. There were freckles all over her face, but no where near as many as the ones that covered her arms and legs. "It's pretty ringy-ding time! Birds sing," and she placed a small step ladder under the eve of the house before continuing. "a-ding...a-ding-a-ding! Sweet lovers love the spring!" she finished happily, placing the hanging pot on a hook. "Now...I just have to figure out what to plant in you." She murmured to herself with a shrug.

'_For real?' _ he heard Leah scoff mentally. He wanted to snicker himself.

After a few second's contemplation, the girl turned, about to walk straight down the later instead of having to walk backwards down. As she spun, her eyes landed on him and she froze.

"oofa." she murmured, making him duck down more.

'_Quil!'_ Leah scolded.

'_Oh crap...'_ he heard Seth groan.

'_Can you get outta there without her noticing?'_ Leah was asking.

'_Not sure. This fence isn't big and most of it's coming down. There are gaps in it everywhere. I doubt I could-Jesus!'_ He tumbled backwards a bit as a head popped through one of the gaps in the fence.

"Oh. Oh, it _is_ a giant wolf. It is." She said with a smile. "I wasn't sure." She said shaking her head. "I mean you could've been a badger, but you're _you_."

'_...what the f-' _

'_Leah!' _ Oh great, now Seth was scolding. For the most part, Quil was simply frozen looking up at this girl...

"Hidey-ho, Neighbor." the girl - woman - finished with a tiny wave before pulling herself back onto her side of the fence.

'_Loopy as a loon that one.' _Leah decided.

'I _think she nice...hot too.'_ Seth defended.

There was a sigh over the link from Leah followed by, _'My brother.'_

'_Uh...any thoughts on what I should do now?'_ Quil asked. Out of sheer curiosity, he creeped forward and looked through the gap she had just been leaning out of. She actually had a measuring tape in hand now and was measuring the distance between two of the hooks hanging on the eave.

She looked over and saw him. "What, eh? Don't suppose you want a cup of sugar?" Quil sneezed in response. "I didn't think so."

Someone else was joining into the link. _'Hey, guys, sorry I'm late! Nessie had me-Holy Shit, Quil!'_

'_Jacob!_' Leah scolded.

'_Seriously, Leah, since when have _you_ had a problem with cussin'?'_

'_Since my little brother keeps forbidding me from doing it.'_ Leah grumbled back.

'_Sorry, Jake, but her reactions are sort of throwing me off here.' _Quil explained.

"Look, are you gonna come in the yard or not?" she asked. "Then again, I don't suppose you _can_ very easily... you're as big as a small pony!" she giggled. "That's quite strong, that is." She shook her head, unable to stop the big goofy grin on her face. "Sorry. It's the down-side of moving to an empty house as opposed to being in an enormous home with tons of family members." She sighed. "I never thought I'd be quoting Eddie Izzard." She said forlornly shaking her head. "There's this whole thing he talks about where he's saying that if Darth Vader didn't have the James Earl Jones voice, he wouldn't have been imposing at all. And then he starts this conversation between a British Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Something like, 'Luke, the force is strong with you.'" She said impersonating an English accent. " 'Well how strong is it?' Luke would answer and then Vader would say, 'Oh, it's as strong as a small pony!' and Luke would say, 'Oh, that's quite strong, that is!'." she let out a loud sigh.

Quil could only stare at her dumbly.

'_What...'_ Jacob began.

'_...the hell?'_ That was Seth this time.

'_Loony girl not looking so hot any more, Seth?'_ Leah questioned with a chuckle.

"...I'm thinking I need a pet." She announced, her shoulders drooping tiredly. "Talking to yourself this much _cannot_ be good." She took another deep breath. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but if I don't eat something my stomach may very well devour my backbone and I'll collapse. Buh~~ye!" She said, practically throwing herself into the doorway and shouting the door. "Piss off, you cellists!" came through the door.

'_The hell was that!'_ Jacob asked.

'_Your guess is as good as mine...would Billy know if a lunatic had moved into the neighborhood?' _Quil asked.

'_Dunno.'_

'_Guess it doesn't matter much anyway.' _Seth said. _'Considering that she saw you, we'll just have to keep an eye on her.'_

'_No shit, Sherlock.' _ Leah grumbled back.

'_Want me to take the first shift?'_ Quil asked. _'I'm here anyway...really, how difficult can it be to watch one chick?'_

'_Uh, Quil?' _Jacob questioned. _'You remember Bella, yeah?"_

'_Point._'

* * *

><p>Joanna flung herself onto her sofa with a sigh. "Finally. Everything is in its place... and it only took continuous work all day long." After her 'neighbor' had dropped by, she'd changed out of the comfy boxers into capris. Still easy to work, but with more coverage. It really didn't bother her... an enormous wolf had showed up and it didn't bother her at all. If one of the actual neighbors had dropped by to say 'hi', she would've been nervous... Sure, she'd been nervous as all get out, but animals aren't like people.<p>

She jumped a bit, feeling the vibration of her cell phone. She smiled as she spied the name that flickered on the screen before flipping the phone open. "Mama?"

"Hey there, water baby!" came the excited voice.

Joanna smiled. "Hey, Mama."

"So, how is it over there? Stan said it didn't smell good, but Cassie said it had potential."

Joanna smiled. "It did smell, or rather didn't which is what smelled bad, but once I put on coffee that helped. It just hasn't had anyone really living in it for a while. You know."

"Ah, it needs _presence_."

"Yeah."

"So, have you gone to the beach yet?"

"No. I've been busy unpacking and putting everything up. You know how I am, once I start doing something-"

"You can't stand to leave it undone. Yes. I do recall." She could hear the smile in Mama's voice even over the phone.

"Oh... uh, you should tell Zac that I said thanks for the history lessons." Joanna said subtly. There was a calculating pause on the other end of the phone as Mama translated that into what it truly meant.

"I _have_ told you to stay awake during such lessons. It may seem boring, but it teaches us the mistakes of those before us so we don't have to make them. You should always be aware of what's come before you."

Joanna nodded, understanding what that meant. Be aware. Be careful.

"Still, it's a dead subject. All those old horses died a long time ago, after all. No one can argue that." Joanna tried, hoping it would comfort Mama.

She heard a soft sigh on the other end, and the tension seemed to leak out of Mama's voice. "Sometimes it's better not to argue."

"Indeed." Joanna said with a smile. "Do you know when Uncle J will be back from Singapore?"

"Are you already fretting?" Mama asked with a hint of a chuckle. Good, the fear wasn't lingering. If Mama wasn't afraid, then she wouldn't be either. "You have an entire month and a half to prepare, Ducky. There's no need for you to go off your feed."

"Ha." Joanna laughed back humorlessly. "I don't fret, I simply prefer to be well prepared."

"As you say then. Considering that you managed to fix that place up in less than two days, I suppose there's little I can say to deter you. Hold on a moment, Ducky." There was a bit of a shuffle against the phone, and she heard Mama yelling, "Rozlin Jade! You get that lizard off your sister's ear and back into the garden! You've scared the poor thing silly, not to mention you know Dena is afraid of them! ... Don't you give me those eyes, young lady... That's more like it. I better not find any other critters have been carted into my house without my express invitation. Do you hear me? You'd better hear me." Joanna bit her lip to keep from giggling, but the sounds of shuffling signaled Mama's return. "Sorry, dear. Your little sisters are running me ragged. Used to it was the boys I had to keep after when it came to taunting the little girls." Even with the frustrated huff, there was a tint of affection in that tone.

"Rozlin's still testing you?" Though slight, the surprise was obvious in Joanna's tone.

"The home she came from ... well, you know how they can be. She just needs to know what is good behavior and what isn't, and how we'll react to either situation... remarkably _just_ like every other child I've ever had." Mama said with a little laugh.

"I miss all of you."

"We miss you too, Ducky." Mama cooed back. "Is there anything you're needing?"

Joanna made a face, hating to ask for more from her family after all they'd done for her... but... "The back fence is in terrible repair..." She mentioned. "I could probably handle it on my own, but I wouldn't mind some help."

"Oh, Stan mentioned that. He said he'd call you in a few days, once he had a break, and arrange a time to fix that up... of course, that was four days ago, so you shouldn't have long to wait."

"That would be a big help." Joanna said, looking askance to the windows that viewed the back yard. She wasn't afraid of wolves, but open doors were welcome invitations and she didn't really want to go inviting any trouble into her new home... or back yard as it were.

"No need to worry over that. Now, get yourself something to snack on, and head down to the beach! You need to get out of that house, and the water is just what you need to get those creative juices you rely on so much to flowing."

"I can't argue with you there."

"Even if you could, it would do you no good." Mama replied, and even Joanna had to smirk at that.

"Of course." Mama's word was law after all. "I'm going to fix myself some soup and then I'll be off."

"Good. Take care, my Ducky."

"Love you, Mama. My love to the littles."

"Love you, too."

Joanna lifted the phone from her ear, eyeing the screen. The picture of Mama with a little one on each hip smiled back at her until she hung up. Joanna flipped the phone closed and hopped up to obey her own instructions. Hearing Mama's voice had made her feel reenergized.

* * *

><p>Leah eyed the house dully. The girl hadn't come out since her first 'conversation' with Quil. Not that it stopped them from listening to her bustle about. There had been a lot of strange chatter for about twenty minutes after the incident, but then things had really settled... Nothing but humming, the same tune over and over. Soft and soothing really, but it was no where near as entertaining as the insane babbling had been.<p>

'_Only just met her this morning and already you've pronounced her crazy.'_ That would be Seth... again. _'Geeze, Leah. I'm just checking on you.'_ he reminded glumly.

'_Yeah, well, it's not like staking out her house has been terribly dangerous.'_

Seth bounded out of the brushwork and pranced near her still form. She saw no reason to get up.

'_Guess that means nothing's happened since we left you to it?'_

'_Nothing much. Got a phone call from her mom, and she mentioned something about going to the beach.'_

Seth had his own glance over the memories Leah mentioned before responding. _'That's convenient. We'll all be at the beach tonight...'_

Leah's ears perked up a bit, only to sink again. The only reason she'd agreed to relieve Quil had been because it meant getting out of going to the bonfire.

'_Come on, Leah. You and Sam haven't so much as set eyes on each other in how long? It wouldn't kill you to attend...'_ Seth whined. _'I do not whine!'_

Leah chuckled mentally. _'Of course not.' _Leah gave a huffing sigh that puffed out her lips a bit before turning her noise towards the ground. It _had_ been years... It didn't hurt as much. Not half as much. But still.

The two wolves looked up as the side door opened. The loon stepped out in a long light blue dress that matched her eyes. It was tighter up top but more sack-like all the way down to just above her ankles. The outline of her body was easy to make out in the right light, and it was plain to see it was just something she was wearing over her clothes... Weird.

'_It's not weird... she's just... modest.'_ Seth defended. Leah only stared at him. _'What?'_

'_She's wearing a wife-beater and capris under that... how is that immodest?'_

This time Seth huffed. _'Some people are shyer than others.'_

'_You are just determined to defend her.'_

Seth's tail wagged just a bit. _'Yeah, well. Only because everyone else seems so determined on making fun of her.' _

'_You and your lost causes.'_ Leah grumbled lifting herself up with a yawn. _'Looks like she's made the choice for us. We can't go to the beach like this anyway... guess we're going to the bonfire tonight.'_

'_Alright!'_ Seth said with a yip.

'_Seth!'_ Leah growled. Her eyes went to the now still back of the girl. The Loon turned and met the eyes of the two wolves just under the forest's edge. She smiled and waved and then turned to walk down her driveway.

'_...she's really nice.'_

'_And really loony.' _ Leah quipped back. _'Funny though, her mom called her 'Ducky'. There seems to be a bird motif.'_ she thought with a chuckle before turning to run home.

* * *

><p>'<em>Giant wolves.'<em> Joanna thought as she continued down the street. _'What does it say for my bruised psyche that I would prefer to stay with the giant wolves rather than risk having to talk to a person?'_ She shook her head with a sigh, picking up her pace a bit. Supposedly, it was a 10 minute walk to the beach... give or take... but she honestly enjoyed walking. The sun was hanging low in the late afternoon sky, and she decided that she would only leave the beach when the sun had set... There was no going back until then. She would not retreat home. Mama was right... she did need to get out of the house. She had promised _not_ to become a shut-in, after all.

Luckily, there weren't really that many people in La Push. Or, if there were, they were all in some other place right now. The walk to the beach was a quite one, and she ended up making it in six minutes... either she was a fast walker or she took long strides. There _were_ some people at the beach, but she made sure to give them a wide berth. After all, she was chiefly interested in the ocean. Still, their presence made her a tad uneasy.

She began softly humming 'Inama Nushif' to herself, as it tended to sooth her. Normally, when she felt uneasy or panicked, she would sing. The demand to correctly sing lyrics actually regulated her breathing, as it forced her to breath properly for the singing. But... she only sang when she was by herself. She would just have to satisfy herself with humming. It did help a bit as it was something to focus on.

As soon as the water lapped up at her toes the muscles in her back and shoulders relaxed. She walked into the chilly water, till she was sure that her ankles would be well submerged even during the waves' retreat. She picked her dress up just a bit so that the hem wouldn't get too wet. She knew there was only so much she could do as that was concerned, and it really was a small price to pay. Her head lolled back, and she enjoyed the song of the waves...simply standing there and letting herself relax.

* * *

><p>"Hey, that's a chick."<p>

Embry looked up at the younger boys as they looked across the beach. The tiny figure, clad in blue, waded into ankle deep water and just stood there. He stood with Paul and Jared, eyeing her back dubiously.

"Hey, I think that's the loon." Quil said with a quiet chuckle.

"Loon?" Sam asked.

"The girl we told you about." Jacob verified.

"We started calling her 'the loon' because she was acting... a little loony." Quil elaborated with a grin. Sam and Emily looked at him disapprovingly, but no one else seemed to take offense.

"She's the one that saw you?" Paul asked.

"Stuff it, Paul." Quil bit out, but it held little heat. He really couldn't be bothered to get truly riled with Claire holding his hand. Paul only snorted a laugh.

"Maybe we should go and make her acquaintance." Emily said looking to Sam. Sam only arched a brow. "It may soften the blow... to know the people behind the wolves... if ever there comes a time when we decide to tell her, that is."

"Why would we do that?" Sam asked.

"She didn't panic, and she didn't say anything to anyone about it. I'm only saying... it would be neighborly." Emily said, lowering her eyes and looking away, turning her attention back to the food. Sam sighed and eyed the girl again. After living so long with Sam, Emily had learned that raised voices and anger did not work in persuading him. She softly stated her opinion and then backed off for him to reach the only conclusion there was. Her's.

"Do you hear that?" Embry asked, taking a few steps towards the sound. It was coming from the girl.

Jared cocked his head to the side. "I think she's singing... I didn't hear it when she first waded in and it's really faint but..."

"That isn't english though."

"It's beautiful." Embry mumbled.

The others turned and looked at him as he continued to stare a hole into the girls shoulders.

"Uh... it's... alright." Paul said dumbly, scratching the back of his head.

"It is soothing." Kayla said. She smiled at Jared. "I think Emily's right. Either way, we shouldn't just stand here and gawk at her, it's rude." As means of answer, Jared slipped his hand into hers and started walking that way with her.

Embry was a few steps ahead of them, drawing closer to the girl. There was a strange prickling around the base of his skull and up his spine, not too unlike the times they had fought vampires... he usually thought of it as his body's natural reaction to danger. The rush of adrenaline helping him to respond as quickly as he needed to. As he got closer, the voice got sweeter. He didn't notice when Jared stopped, pulling Kayla to a stop beside him. Jared placed a finger to his lips, telling her to be silent.

Embry drew up beside her silently. And then those blue eyes turned on him with all their fury. The pin-priks went from white-hot to a dull warm, expanding and spreading through his spine and belly but most noticeably through his chest. Her eyes and face were all there were here... her song stopped, and he was certain she could hear his pounding heart. Even the waves wouldn't mute that. She was a siren... a fierce beauty that called to him.

But...her face wasn't fierce. It was frozen. Terrified. His breathing started back up again, but he had no idea what to say to her now. She stared at him, obviously petrified, and he too was paralyzed. He didn't want to make her run... if she ran, he would have to chase her... wouldn't he?

"Hi there!" Kayla's voice literally made her jump two feet away. She landed, still on her feet, with a splash.

"Merlin and Morgane." She breathed, her arms wrapping around her torso tightly. She pretended to chafe her arms as though she were cold, but he knew the defensive posture very well... not to mention, she was practically folding in on herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry if we scared you." Kayla said casually. Her smile always came with ease, and it usually put people at ease. It wasn't working now. "We're having a bonfire over there, and we saw you all by yourself over here. We thought it'd be rude not to introduce ourselves at least."

Embry could feel the approach of his other pack brothers, and he could hear the girls with them. Not that he would need to. His siren shifted back a bit, leaning heavily on her left foot. Her eyes darted to his and away again to the water around her feet. She was uncomfortable near him. It took effort, but he turned his gaze away. Quil was there beside him, and Jacob. Both of them were grinning at him like idiots. Didn't they realize that this wasn't going good at all? She was terrified! And he had to fix it...

"Would you like to join us?" Kayla asked.

The girl swallowed convulsively. "I... uh... I was just..." She tried to shrug nonchalantly but it came off too twitchy. He saw her eyes dart to the horizon and the sun hanging scant inches above the water.

"Are you alone?" Embry asked baffled. She froze again, her wide eyes clicked over to him. She was afraid of him. She glanced at the growing crowd around her, and all color left her face. Not a single freckle remained, and she looked sick without them. She was afraid of them. She wrapped a hand around the dusky brown pendant, a simple jagged rock, that hung from her neck, clutching it in a nervous habit. Embry surprised himself by glaring at the others before continuing. "We won't hurt you, it's just... it isn't safe for a woman to be alone."

She eyed him again, those ice blue eyes so deep he would gladly remain forever frozen by them.

"Not safe?" Quil questioned him. "La Push _is_ safe. We keep it safe, thanks very much." Embry glared at Quil, which was the only thing that made him shut up now. Quil was obviously in shock from the force of it. This wasn't a 'you're a dick' glare. This was a 'One more word and I kill you, asshole' glare.

"Joanna?" The resonating baritone made them all jump a bit. All except the siren. It must have been what the girls felt like whenever the pack snuck up on them soundlessly. One minute, they were alone. The next, a seven foot tall bruiser and a curvaceous femme fatal were behind them. The man was blond with piercing blue eyes, sporting a body that looked like it may give any one of them a run for their money. The woman next to him didn't need to walk to have a slink in her spine, and her long strawberry blond hair swung gracefully about her hips, as blue eyes matching the man next to her twinkled teasingly at them. The man was not teasing. He was hard and dangerous. He glared at each one there in turn before his gaze settled on Embry. Then, his eyes narrowed and he eyed Embry more slowly. Embry couldn't help but swallow hard at the inspection. Why did it feel like this man could see right through him?

"Stan." The girl said. Joanna he had called her.

"Oh, baby girl, what are you doing out here? You're shivering, Jojo." The woman cooed, sliding through all of them and straight to his siren. She removed her own brown leather jacket and placed it around the girl's shoulders. She then looked back at Stan, who was still eyeing Embry. "Stan, quit being an ass and get over here, ya'ass." She ordered.

Stan blinked, dull eyes giving her a stodgy glare. With a sigh he pushed forward, somehow gracefully managing to lace through the crowd and reach the two women he knew. He bent effortlessly as he walked and actually picked 'Jojo' up in the crook of one arm, simply using the momentum of his walk to continue going without stopping.

"Got you, little sis." He murmured with a crooked slip of a smile, then turned and began walking back towards the road. Embry felt himself tense, the burn of jealousy rift through him as she relaxed against him, closing her eyes.

Embry had actually moved to follow, but the other women got in his way. He stared down at her incredulously.

"Listen, Hon. My twin isn't just mean, he's monstrous." She said with a bright smile, as though she were discussing something delightful. "And he lets loose when he thinks he has to protect his little siblings. So trust me when I say, you don't want to go down this road."

"Yeah, let it go, Embry." Jacob said softly.

They didn't understand! He was leaving... with _her_! He ducked his head, closing his eyes and tried to breathe. But she had been so afraid of them... how much more frightened would she be? If he became not just that guy that startled her, but the one that wouldn't stop stalking her? Then she really would run from him. He nodded dully.

"Embry." The woman said. "That's a wonderful name." Embry hated the tone she took... the familiarity—like she knew him so well. "I'm Casandra. And I'd better catch up with Stanley before he forgets that he has to protect me too." with that she slunk away, not bothering to give any of them a second look.

The group eyed them all as they retreated, not speaking or changing their stances until they were well out of earshot. Kayla sighed wearily, looking to Jared as though she expected he was somehow disappointed in her. As if he could be.

"Well...that's great." Quil mumbled. He smiled when Embry's eyes coasted to him. "You found her, man. Your imprint at last. That's _good_ news!"

"Yeah, and she's scared stiff of me." Embry growled.

"Aw, it never comes easy...you just gotta be persistent and patient."

"Quil?"

"Yeah, man?"

"Shut up, Quil." Embry bit out. Now he really wasn't in the mood for this bonfire.

"Embry." Jacob's voice was firm. "You're still expected to perform your duties you know?"

Embry stared at Jacob uncomprehendingly. What could he possibly mean by that? And why would he pull rank at a time like this? "I know." Of course he knew! An imprint didn't excuse any member of the pack from their obligations.

Jacob nodded. "Good. Then you wouldn't mind if I assigned you to watch the new girl's house tonight?"

Embry stared at Jacob for a long moment before nodding. "Yeah, that'd be fine." he said in a hurry, barely noting Jacob's nod as he trotted off.

"Good plan." Leah murmured.

"Not as if he woulda had his head here if I wouldn't have asked him to stick with her." Jacob said.

"This is me not arguing." Leah said with a shrug.

"Wonder among wonders." Quil joked. "Ow!"

* * *

><p>With swiftness that would've put Leah to shame, Embry raced through the forest. He knew the way well, and was at her home before she was. And so an enormous gray wolf with dappled black patches paced uneasily beneath the forest's edge. He had five minutes to himself to wear a path into the ground and worry about all the things that went wrong. He had snuck up on her, he had been with a large group of friends, he had stared at her like she was something to eat. Good God. No wonder she had been scared. She was a girl. A young girl still. Out, alone, in a new place, and what happens?<p>

His internal tirade was finally interrupted when Bruiser was finally sighted. His twin, Slinky, trotted past him to open the front door for him as his hands were currently full. He couldn't see them after that, but he could still hear..

* * *

><p>And that's it so far :) I hope you liked what's here. Lemme know what ya thought one way or the other (as long as it's constructive), and I hope to update as soon as I can :3 peace out!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Blessed Bovines, this took much longer than I had thought it would :| Unfortunately, we're getting close to finals in college, and everything's become very hectic. The only great thing about that, would be that the semester's almost over. Not to mention, I have to get a root canal done on the 6th (guess which event I'm anticipating more -..-). Please bear with me. I am trying to write and organize more, but things have gotten really crazy lately. I'm still trying though :) So...

Please do enjoy...

* * *

><p>Cassie turned on the lamp beside her sofa, and Stan set her down on the sofa. He then sat at the foot of the sofa and proceeded to massage her feet despite the sandy grit that covered them.<p>

"What was it this time, Sis?" Cassie asked with a sigh as she gathered some damp paper towels from the kitchen.

After heaving a few long breaths, Joanna replied with, "Did you _see_ them? All of them? They were enormous! And there must have been 50 of them all there."

"Oh, goodness sakes, there couldn't have been 25." Cassie rebutted, handing the paper towels to Stanley. He accepted them without looking at them and began cleaning off Joanna's feet.

"And they startled me..."

"You tend to get startled when you slip off into your own world so often." Cassie replied dryly.

"And they all kept _staring_ at me."

"Only just the one... and, well... you _are_ a chick, and an aesthetically pleasing one at that. You should get used to that reaction."

"Enough." Stan said at last, still not stopping from his task. He looked down the sofa's length at Joanna. "You want me to beat 'em up?"

Joanna looked at him bewildered before laughing softly. "No. And I only say that, because I know if I didn't give you an answer you would definitely try it." That had been something Stan had always offered to his sisters. If someone bothers you, just say so and I'll beat 'em up for you. He would ask them that all the time. Kids at school calling you names? Want me to beat 'em up? One of your brothers hurt your feelings? Want me to beat 'em up? Boys pressuring you to date? Want me to beat 'em up?...then again, he never really offered on the last scenario...he just went and beat Justin to a pulp without bothering to ask her. It was so strange yet so refreshing to have something constant in this new place. She shook her head, rubbing her forehead with one hand absently. "It was just...there were too many of them all at once."

"You really didn't think you'd get over your anxieties all at once, did you?" Cassie asked, her tone softening slightly. She sat on the arm of the sofa behind Joanna's head and began to stroke Joanna's hair comfortingly. "Ducky-Girl, you've had this problem for a long time... it won't just go away."

"Not to mention the stress of moving to a new place so far away, trying to make something of yourself, and trying to establish a healthy social routine ... well..." Stan eyed her. "That may have been a bit... ambitious."

Joanna stared at him somberly. "You don't think I can do it?"

"I think you can do anything you set your mind to." He said, setting down her left foot and going to work on her right before looking back at her. "But... if you try all these things and get enormous stress from all of them... something's going to have to give."

"He's right." Cassie said, rising to pace casually in front of the sofa. "You're trying so hard at too many things. And let's face it; you've never been a social person."

"I think you should work on one thing at a time." Stan said with a nod. "Settle yourself into your new home, and establish a comfortable routine with work... that will provide you with a bit of confidence once you've accomplished that."

"And if that doesn't work?" Joanna asked, hating herself for sounding so whimpery—if that was a word.

"Then you call me, and I'll go with you in all social environments, and if anyone scares you... " He smiled down at her. "I'll beat 'em up."

Joanna chuckled a bit before letting out a relieved sigh. "Do you two have a place to sleep?"

"We have a hotel room." Cassie said.

"I can stay, if you'd like." Stan assured.

Joanna only thought about that for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'll be fine."

"Yes... You will." Stan said with a smile. "Do you need anything else?"

"No."

"I'm going to give that fence out there a final once-over, if that's ok." He said as he rose.

"You're the one who's going to fix it." Joanna said, sitting upright.

"Well, while you're doing that," Cassie said, grabbing Joanna's arm and hoisting her into a standing position. "You can show me around."

"You've already seen the place." Joanna reasoned.

"Yes, but that was before you moved in."

Stanley didn't bother listening to the rest as he strode outside. He circled the outside of the fence, eyeing the wood negatively. "Most of the wood's rotten...would be better to just toss all of this and start over." He grumbled to himself. He didn't seem to take notice of the penitent wolf that was watching him under the cover of the woods. "I'm guessing I'll just have to do it all myself..." with a final grunt towards the fence, he turned and retrieved his twin.

* * *

><p>Joanna felt so lazy. As she slowly opened her eyes and took in the room, she couldn't help but survey the clock is disapproval. That made two days that she'd slept well past what should be allowed. It was 9:37 a.m. and she felt as though she could roll over and sleep more. Honestly, what was wrong with her? ... well, other than travel lag, exhaustive unpacking, and panic attacks? She sighed and forced the covers back viciously. She could just hear hammering, meaning Stan was probably working on that fence. After a brief trip to the bathroom, making sure she was presentably decent and her teeth and hair were brushed properly, she trotted into the kitchen. She hustled to put on the coffee, opting for a full pot. She and Stan were both coffee drinkers.<p>

"Stan, I am so sorry." She said prancing out the back door. "I've been so utterly lazy. Do you need any help?"

Stand looked over his shoulder at her. He was currently holding up a board that was being put into the earth. "Nah. Embry showed up and we've been making quick work of this." He muttered. "Considering the past couple of days, I kinda figured you might be whipped.

Joanna's brow drew into a confused frown. "Embry?..."

A dark head leaned from around the other side of the fence, causing her to jump back a bit in shock. " 'lo, Miss."

Flashes of the beach brought a pink blush to Joanna's cheeks. The man from yesterday...his voice was very young though. She hadn't noticed yesterday... well, she hadn't noticed anything but how imposing and massive he looked.

Stan turned more so that he could half face her as apposed to looking over his shoulder at her. "Yeah, Embry showed up really early... wanted to apologize for yesterday and offer any help we may need as a sign of neighborliness." His eyes looked somewhere between amused and cunning. Joanna made sure to match that with a _'you couldn't have mentioned he was here before I rushed out here in my night shirt and sweatpants'_, look.

"Oh..." Joanna said lamely, realizing she had to say _something_. "I uh... I have coffee on now, and I was wondering if you'd like breakfast?"

Stan smiled, nodding. "Sounds good. I had some when I woke up, but I wouldn't mind a refresher." He looked over at his coworker. "How about you, Embry? You want breakfast?"

"Ah...uh. I wouldn't want to impose." Embry said carefully, looking nervously between Joanna and Stan.

"Not at all." Joanna said with a smile, reminding herself that this was important. "Mama ingrained breakfast feasts into me, so it'll be good to have someone to share with... really." She motioned to the fence. "Besides, you should be paid for your work, and right now it is the only way I could pay you."

A tiny smile tugged at Embry's mouth before he nodded. "I'd like that."

"Alright then..." She looked to Stan. "Will Cassie be joining us..."

"No. She's at the office." He said nodding as he looked down at the ground where the post was now resting securely.

"Good. Alright then. I'll holler when it's ready." Joanna said cheerfully before swiftly trotting inside. Once the door was closed she released a breath. Ok... she could do this. All she had to do, was pretend she was cooking breakfast at home.

* * *

><p>Embry sighed, looking after her. "She's still scared of me." He mumbled.<p>

Stan didn't bother to look up from his task as he set the screw in place and began working it in with the automatic screwdriver. "Absolutely terrified." He said with a nod after the noise was done, still not looking up.

Embry looked down at him. "That doesn't bother you?"

"It bothers you?"

"Of course." Embry said, making sure he was holding the post steady, though he wasn't sure why. The concrete had long since dried at the base... just something to do.

"Why for?" Stan asked setting another screw in place.

"Because... I've... never had a girl be afraid of me."

"Bullshit." Stan grumbled, firing up the electric drill again.

"'Scuze me?" Embry asked, once the noise died.

Stan sighed, rolling his eyes. "Alright, maybe you've never had a girl afraid of you before, but that's not why. Don't give me bullshit answers, because I'm more than willing to call you on 'em." Stan stood up, gathering a few more boards to place near them for easy access. Now that the metal piece was screwed into the post they would have to screw the stabilizing boards into place.

"She's just...special, is all." Embry said at last.

"Damn right she is." Stan grunted, lining up a small board. Embry squatted down to help hold the board in place.

"I mean... I don't know. I want to get to know her better... and she's special."

"And pretty. And new. And when you first laid eyes on her your heart went pitter-patter, and your stomach flip-floped, and hell...I ain't discussing anything below that."

"Yeah, and she's terrified." Embry reminded, frustrated. "Even if it weren't for all those things, it don't sit right on my stomach knowing some poor girl's afraid of me."

Stan let out a long sigh. "You seem like a genuine sort. You come off as a good man, and it can be right-hard to find a fella like that these days." Finally his eyes rose to meet Embry's. "You hurt her... and, boy, I'll put a mark on you hell fire wouldn't burn away."

Embry wasn't really afraid of many things. Living as a werewolf/shape shifter, fighting against hoards of newborn leeches, facing down vampire royalty... all that and he never flinched. He swallowed harshly at Stanley's words...the prospect of righteous fury form her brother was a bit on the frightening side, but no where near as frightening as the prospect of _earning_ that fury by hurting her.

"Anything you would do couldn't possibly be worse than actually hurting her, Stanley." He said evenly, somewhat surprised that his voice didn't crack. His throat sure felt bruised.

Stan seemed to consider this, his eyes narrowed. "It still stands." He said, his attention turning back to the task at hand. Embry knew he wasn't talking about the post.

The two worked steadily and in relative quiet (save for the noise of the drill of course) for the next half hour. They managed to finish the entire North section of fence (which lined up with the wall of the house) and then some, when Joanna finally came out to retrieve them. She'd tied her hair back in a ponytail and was now wearing light jeans with a black tank top with long purple sweater over it.

"I figured I'd just make this buffet style." She announced, handing them both empty plates and motioning to her counter. She had laid out platters of several sorts of breakfast foods on it.

"Does that mean... all you can eat?" Embry asked carefully.

"It had better." Stan said with a smirk, not hesitating to move first.

"You realize you may regret that offer." Embry said to Joanna with a grin.

She lifted her chin theatrically. "You underestimate my breakfast feast skills." She said loftily.

Oddly enough, she probably could've fed four or five members of the pack on the breakfast she'd made. There were large platters full of eggs – some scrambled and some over easy – breakfast sausage – both links and patties – hash brows, pancakes, one plate of toast, and a bowl of …of..

"What is that?" Embry asked.

"Grits." Joanna replied. "There's a bag of shredded cheese next to that platter. I wasn't sure if you liked grits or if you did, how you preferred them." Embry just stared as Stanley made a round, filling his plate. "What are you drinking, Embry?"

"Huh? Oh. Coffee's good."

"Alright. Black?"

"Yeah." he murmured as she sauntered over to the coffee pot. "You know," he called after her. "even with as big an appetite as I usually have, there's no way the three of us will eat all this?"

"True..."

"Maybe those buddies of yours that are loafing around, spying on us would like some." Stanley said, sitting down on the sofa.

Joanna and Embry exchanged a confused look before spotting Quil and Jacob out the window. They were looking at the back yard, chuckling and probably wondering where Stanley and Embry were now.

"I'm gonna kill 'em." Embry grumbled.

"No, don't do that." Joanna said shaking her head. "Fill your plate with food and then wander out there, all surprised and ask what they're doing." She finished with a smile. "They won't be able to resist the lure of food, and then you'll have a few extra hands for the job."

He looked down at her before smiling. "Devious. I like it."

* * *

><p>Embry's trip outside actually went as Joanna had said it would... sort of. The fence crew increased by two, even if it meant more people in the small kitchen. Luckily, Joanna didn't mind anyone eating in the living room. She survived the sudden intrusions by focusing on eating her breakfast and letting the 'men folk' discuss the work for the day. At one point she felt eyes on her and found Embry staring at her. Swallowing her food she asked, "What?"<p>

"You just devoured three sausages... like they were candy." he said with a grin.

"A girl can't have an appetite?" she asked, pretending to be offended.

"I said no such thing. Just...admiring that healthy appetite." He said turning back to his plate.

Joanna scowled at him for a moment, but he seemed to be making a point of avoiding her eyes. After a second or two, she let it pass. She wasn't entirely sure she liked the idea of being watched by anyone... much less admired. The only thing helping her not to panic was Stanely's presence... she doubted seriously that she'd be in such a stable mood otherwise.

"Man!" Quil sighed. "I'm stuffed."

"Good." Stanley said, standing up and stretching his arms carefully over his head. He had to be careful...otherwise he'd hit the ceiling. "Guess that means you're ready to work."

"...right." Quil's face fell noticeably.

"So, does that mean you're paying us in food?" Embry asked Joanna.

Joanna thought that over. Why would Embry ask that when she'd stated it so obviously earlier? Then she caught the eyes of Jacob and Quil, not very curiously fastened to her. "It only seems fair. I've nothing else to barter with." she said, and it was true. A well stocked fridge and freezer were all she had...that and family connections.

"_Please_." Quil said, standing as well. "We'd do it for free if you asked us." he said with a goofy smile.

Joanna shook her head. "Men who work should be paid for their work. I can't pay yet, so it's only fair that I feed you. Besides, happy workers work well."

"And a man's hardly ever happier than when a beautiful lady's cooked him a good meal." Stanley said with a smirk. "We'd better get this job finished as soon as possible anyway. Weather's gonna change soon." he said looking out the window.

"It is?" Joanna asked. "I still don't have the cable or internet hooked up yet, so I haven't been able to check the forecast."

Stanley eyed her a moment. "I thought you said the house was ready."

"Cable and internet aren't a necessity, Stanley." Stanley grunted noncommittally.

"He's right though." Jacob said. "You can almost taste the change coming. I'd bet it will be here before the weekend."

"It'll be here Thursday." Stanley announced before glancing at Joanna. "Hope you got your winter clothes unpacked."

"...but...July's only just ended."

Embry chuckled. "That hardly matters here. It's rarely this sunny out, but when it changes it gets cold fast."

"Perfect weather... for you that is." Stanley said, smiling at Joanna. He then opened the back door. "No time like the present to start."

"Where do you want these?" Embry asked Joanna as he gathered up the empty plates.

"Oh, uh, I'll take them." She said, almost awkwardly accepting the pile of plates from him. She couldn't help but notice that once he'd made sure the plates were securely in her hands, he backed off straight away and followed Stanley and the others out. Once the door had been firmly shut, she released a heavy breath. She really needed to get over this personality tick.

She stacked all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, berating herself (again) for not being able to socialize on her own properly (again).

Her cell phone vibrated, humming the tune _'Me? I'm a scene! I'm a drama queen. I'm the best damn thing that your eyes have every seen!'_.

"Hi, Cassie." She answered, leaning against the counter and watching the guys working out the window.

"Hey, little sis. Listen, I've checked around and found the best deal for internet and cable - it's a bundle deal so you'll only have to pay one bill."

"...Uh... Cassie, aren't you supposed to be at the office?"

"I _can_ multitask, hon."

Joanna smiled, unable to help the warm feeling springing up inside her. Cassie wasn't very similar to her, but she still had her own unique way of expressing her affection. "Right. Of course you can. You _are_ female."

"Exactly!"

"So, a bundle, huh? I assume you have all the details."

"Well, of course, but I took my lunch break early and, I've only got a little time left to actually eat. I'll be coming over this evening anyway."

"I'm sure the boys will look forward to that."

"Boys?"

"Embry showed up early this morning to help Stanley with the fence. Jacob and Quil are here now too, after Embry showed off my breakfast."

"Aw, my baby sister, all grown up and taming the local males with food." Cassie cooed.

"Funny."

"Well, I'll try to break away early. Maybe I can help you fix supper, what with the increase number of guests."

"Thanks... that'll really help."

"Alright then. See you this afternoon!"

"See you."

* * *

><p>It seemed amusing how everything was gaged by food. Breakfast was the first break of course, but that had Joanna quickly thinking about lunch. Supper would probably come later, but working men needed food to keep on working. She surveyed all the things in her fridge and quickly came to the conclusion of corn dogs. Mostly because she'd brought an enormous bulk box in the freezer, but also because it was the easiest thing in the world to fix. They were precooked and you could pop any number of them into the oven for about 20 minutes and voila! She checked the fridge and found a large jar of queso cheese dip, because she preferred flavored dip to non-flavored. Gauging by what the boys ate at breakfast, and already knowing what Stanley would prefer, she set out five corn dogs for each of the guys...well, except for her and Stanley. They would only need two.<p>

Now that that was settled, she had to think of supper. With a sigh, she eyed the door to her 'home office'. There was no helping it now. Today was obviously going to be a day spent mostly in the kitchen. With another sigh she decided to call Cassie back. Maybe she'd have some ideas for supper.

* * *

><p>Emrby stood up, rolling his shoulders back, surveying their work. Both sides of the fence as well as the corners were up.<p>

It was Quil who gave voice to his thought. "How the hell did we managed to finish this all so fast?"

"Once the posts are in place it's fairly easy really, as long as there's plenty of hands to work." Stanley said almost dismissively, stacking more small slats of boards where they would be placed next.

"Yeah, but, I don't remember those posts being there..." Quil said, scratching his head.

"Come by here often, do you?" Stanley asked, still not looking up from his work. He had a habit of doing that.

"Uh..."

"There are paths through the woods." Embry covered quickly. "Short cuts and stuff. This place had a delapitated fence just yesterday..."

"Hey, doesn't the cement take hours to dry?" Quil asked.

"Yup." was Stanely's only response. There was a pause as the three guys looked at each other.

"Damn, man. How early did you get out here anyway?"

"Four."

"...You were here at four in the morning?" Jacob asked incredulously.

"Yup. Had to have the holes dug, the cement poured in, and the posts put in."

"That explains why they were all set by the time I got here at 8 o'clock." Embry murmured. "D'you figure we can actually finish this today?"

"If we work while we talk." Stanley said, eyeing them over his shoulder pointedly. It was a simple statement, not snide or angry. It didn't really need to be.

"Wait a sec... doesn't it take about a day for cement to really set?" Jacob asked.

Stanley looked over at him. "Quick dry."

"Oh..."

A strange shriek came from inside the house, and Embry had half turned toward it before he could stop himself.

"That's a happy noise." Stanley assured. "What!" He boomed, making the other three jump. His voice was deep, but when he yelled it was startling.

Joanna half leaned out the door, beaming like it was Christmas morning. "Rhonda's coming! She'll be here Saturday!"

"Fantastic. She'll be bringing your little monster, huh?" Stanley asked.

"The text didn't say!" Joanna was practically prancing in the doorway. "It just said she'd be driving my car here with the rest of my things."

Stanley nodded, going back to work. "I'd lay odds she'll bring all the stuff you left behind along with your car."

"I'm so excited!" Joanna squealed. "Oh! And Cassie said she's bringing supper!" with that she shut the door.

"Marvelous." Stanley muttered.

"Hey, if it's anything like those corn dogs we had for lunch, I'll be fine." Quil said. "Never thought of using that cheese dip we buy for the chips on corn dogs. That made it totally different."

"Cassie'll probably raid a local grocery store or something." Stanley before sighing.

"You tired, Stan?" Embry asked.

"Nah. Not when there's work that needs doing." He said jutting his chin to the opposite end of the fence. "Quil, Jacob, why don't you two start on that side. Embry, you and I can finish this side. We'll help them out as soon as we're through."

"Oh, you think you'll manage to finish first, huh?" Quil asked, trotting over to the left side of the yard. "Common, Jake. Let's smoke these guys."

Stanley smirked. Nothing like a little friendly competition to get the boys working.

"So, Rhonda?" Embry asked as he held one of the base boards in place.

Stanley started fixing the board in place before screwing it in properly. "Rhonda's one of my sisters."

"...you sure have a huge family, man." Embry said.

"You've no idea." Stanley said, moving on the next slat. He eyed the house for a moment before saying, "I'm really only the oldest of six, but there's a ton of littles that have come and gone... Mother's been in the foster home business for a long time now."

Embry thought that over for a second. "Oh... oh." He looked back at the house and imagined Joanna before comparing her to Cassie and Stanley. The twins looked similar. Not so much so that it was obvious, but they fit together as a set. Joanna looked nothing like them. "So... Joanna's-"

"One of our foster sisters." Despite his size, Stanley could move like lightning when he wanted to. While they were talking, he'd already fixed three boards into place. Embry had the monotonous job of holding them up while Stanley did the affixing.

"How many foster siblings do you have?"

Stanley snorted softly. "Too many to count. Mother just got three new littles in too. Two boys and a girl. That's not counting the bunch that're already there. We all work around the same field… usually with children, but Rhonda's an exception. She works with forensics… Still, we take just about anyone in. That is if they can't find them a suitable home, we tend to all take care of them. Mother's built up quite a reputation 'round her ranch in Oklahoma..." Stanley grinned.

Embry's mind raced. There were so many questions buzzing in his mind, even the whirr of power tools couldn't block them out.

The back door opened and shut as Joanna came back out again. She had her cell phone hand, but she froze for a moment, her eyes sliding between the two groups of working men.

"What?" Stanley almost sang out.

"oh." Joanna blinked at him and looked down at her phone. "... uh. Cassie. She wants to know if you prefer peaches or apples?" she said almost timidly. Stanley only raised an eyebrow in response. Joanna smile. "I'll tell her both." She paused a moment longer after sending the reply. Then she darted back inside.

"...uh...is that normal?"

"Hm." Stanley shrugged. "She got bit."

"What?"

"Act natural." Stanley said with a smirk. "And keep working."

A few seconds more passed before Joanna reemerged with an enormous spiral bound book. She pulled up a stool and sat before opening the book. With a black pencil in hand, she studied the men at their work again before scratching furiously at the notebook. After several minutes of steady work, and Embry pretending not to notice her, Stanley finally elaborated.

"Joanna's an artist." He said with a fond smile, still not looking up from his work. "When the artsy bug bites, she falls into a zone." He shrugged. "Even the most mundane things can set her off. Looks like she found the fence building stimulating."

"huh... So she's an artist."

Stanley nodded. "Mostly sketch work. But she uses markers too... to give her work life, she says."

At this point, Joanna was deeply submersed in her 'zone'. Every so often, she would look up and eye the men again, but for the most part she was completely captivated by whatever image she was trying to create.

"Can she hear us?"

"Hearing and being aware are two different things." Stanley said. "She can hear, but nothing short of calling her directly will get her attention now." Stanley smirked. "Why? You wanna talk about her like she isn't here?"

"Uh no...I just...uh...well, I thought I might be able to ask you some questions..."

"Her favorite color's teal." Stanley reported blandly. "Mostly cause she loves the water so much."

"...teal, huh? That doesn't seem like a very crucial piece of information." Embry said with a smirk.

"She's an artist. Color is important." Stanley bit back.

Embry sighed, his eyes wondering to her again. In a split second, her eyes moved up and landed right on him. Their eyes met, and he was surprised when she held his gaze. But after a moment, her eyes slid back down again, a pale blush adorning her cheeks. Embry swallowed thickly, surprised by the strength of the pull towards her. The effort to do nothing at all was staggering... even though he had no idea what he would do if he could.

"Damn if you don't have it bad, kid." Stanley muttered softly. "Don't forget to breathe now. Breathin's essential." Embry nodded, turning back to the fence and trying to remind himself how foolish he looked staring at her like a love struck pup. Thank God they were almost finished with this job.

* * *

><p>Joanna set her sketch book down in her little home office. She was looking out her windows and just breathing. There were just too many strangers around, even with Stanley and Cassie's presence. She could pretend all she wanted that it didn't affect her, but it didn't mean her heart wasn't racing or that she wasn't having a hard time breathing properly. They had all eaten their supper, and the boys were showing Cassie their handy work in the back yard (even though it was getting rather dark out). She tried to reason with herself that she had plenty of time to herself all day while the guys were working... but it just wasn't the same as being totally alone.<p>

"Taking a breather?" Stanley's voice was startling in the stillness.

"...how do you managed to move so silently?" Joanna said, sagging a bit.

"I'm a ninja like that." Stanley said with a shrug.

Joanna smiled. "I'm just...not used to them." She said with a shrug, hating the excuse for sounding so lame. "I-I am grateful that they were here though...otherwise this job would have been much harder for both of us."

Stanley only nodded sagely. "You know... I don't really know these boys from Adam, but... that Embry kid's a good guy. I'd trust him."

"Stanley...are you saying..."

"What I am saying for certain..." He murmured, taking a few steps closer to her. "...is that we do not want another repeat of the incident that happened a few months ago... do we?" Joanna had to blink away the tears before shaking her head. Stanley's voice eased in its tone slightly. "Maybe some of our siblings will move nearer to here. Maybe they wont. Either way... you need to work on building up friendships in _this_ community." Stanley eyed her neutrally. "I'm just saying... you may have a good place to start building right there."

Joanna weighed his words, returning his gaze. "I see." she released a heavy breath before nodding. "I... I'll try..."

"Good girl."

* * *

><p>Stanley and Cassie got into Cassie's car, a sleek coal gray Toyota prius, and were pulling away as Cassie waved out the window. Joanna had no idea where or when Jacob and Quil had shoved off, but she didn't really care at this point. Right now, she and Embry were on her front lawn... just standing there awkwardly watching Cassie's tail lights drift away. Joanna could barely look at him, her nerves were so bad. She had no idea what to say or how to say it. And looking at him would only make it more painfully obvious. She glanced over at him from the corner of her eye and realized that he wasn't as close to her as she thought.<p>

"Uh... well.." Embry began, shuffling away. "I guess I'll see you... you know, around."

"I!" Joanna swallowed, trying to get rid of the cotton-mouth feeling. "I'm not...brave." She stuttered at last. "In fact I-I'm a real coward." She clutched at her own fingers to keep her hands from shaking.

"You don't have to be afraid of me." Embry said. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting again. A solid moment of silence passed before Embry said. "Breathe, Joanna." Joanna took in a deep breath through her nose and held it before letting it slide from her mouth. He smiled at her. "Breathing is essential."

She blinked, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You've... be around Stanley too long."

"There are worse fates." He said with a shrug. He took a step closer to her, but halted once again unsure of what he would do if he were close to her. "You were saying? About..."

"Yes,.. I... I'm not brave... and I have a lot of excuses that I use to justify it, but... But I'm trying to be better about ...being so reclusive." Her eyes slid down to her feet. "Mama, and Stanley and Cassie...and _everyone_... they all think I need to work on building up my own sort of...network of friends... instead of having my family who I always hide behind..."

"I'll be your friend." Embry said with an easy smile.

Joanna's eyes widened again as she looked up at him. She wondered why his sudden offer startled her so much. She took another deep breath and held it before slowly releasing it. "I...uh, don't exactly have...the best track record with friends." She admitted ashamedly.

"You don't have to tell me everything all at once." Embry said, with the same laid back smile. "I'm more than willing to take things as they are now and learn more along the way."

Joanna nodded stuntedly "Right...well, uh. I was wondering if you were available Friday." She stopped when she saw a grin creep onto Embry's face. "that is...uh!" she motioned franticly over her shoulder back at the house. "I-I-I like to draw, and I can't really just...visualize _people_ well, so I like to have references." She explained hurriedly. "I usually ask one of my brothers or maybe an uncle, b-but I thought if you weren't busy maybe-"

"I'd love to help."

She took in that answer before replying. "You... you really don't mind?" He shook his head with a shrug. "And you're free?"

"Free as a wolf." He smiled, trying to actually contain his enthusiasm. "I may not be America's Next Top Model, but I'll be yours."

Joanna smiled - actually smiled! - and nodded. "That's... that's good." She said with a chuckle.

"yeah... good." Another awkward moment passed before Embry asked. "About what time were you thinkin' -"

"Oh, uh..." she said lacing her fingers together and twiddling her thumbs. "Ten-ish?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright then... Friday." she said with a nod.

"Ten-ish." he replied.

"See you then."

"yeah... yeah see you."

* * *

><p>Embry felt like howling as he ran through the woods, and he wasn't even a wolf! It wasn't like much headway had been made, but still! Something was better than nothing.<p>

* * *

><p>Aaand, there's the second installment :) Hope ya liked.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

First off, much love to my reviewers! SpadesAndClubs and LisaaxDudette :) You make my smiles happen!

Needless to say, it's been a while. And, I'm sorry we don't get together and do this more often. But one of these days, I'm gonna make a lasagna and we can all get together and chat about how our lives are going...

:) Till then, please do enjoy...

* * *

><p>Embry was beginning to feel like a stalker. What time he spent not sleeping or eating was now spent as a wolf, in a rainy wood, outside the house of his new 'friend'. He consoled himself with the fact that it'd already been decided that someone had to watch her, and really he would rather it be him anyway. Still, why did that have to make him feel like such a creeper?<p>

_'Because you are.'_ Quil joked from his "parameter run" around the property. These days, things were so peaceful, it took only two wolves to run parameter… and only one to actually do the running, while another kept an ear out.

_'Thanks a lot.'_ Embry griped back, resting his muzzle on his paws. The sky was dark gray, as it had been all day. Not a torrential down poor, but the steady flow was almost worse. At least a down pour would've raged itself out.

_'Hey man, you earned it.' _Quil reminded. Embry _had_ been pretty scathing towards the others since this whole mess started. _'It's only a mess to you because you're in the thick of it.' _

_'It's easy for you to say.'_ Embry quipped back. _'Your imprint adores you._'

_'Yeah, but that may not always be the case.' _Embry could feel the hidden tension behind that. _'Maybe, she wont want me around so much… you know. At _thatage_. I know I didn't want anyone older around when I was getting into my teens.'_

_'God, when did we become mature?'_ Embry asked, a grunt working its way up his throat.

_'So, how's she been?'_ Quil asked, wisely changing the subject to something Embry would probably enjoy talking about.

_'A hermit.'_

_'Not that you mind.'_

Funny thing. When Embry thought about it, it wasn't really so much a complaint… in fact, he almost found it cute.

_'Aww, how sweet.'_ Quil cooed.

_'Shut up.'_ Embry bit back. There was a moment of good humor felt, and even Embry couldn't deny that it was funny.

_'So. Nothing at all?'_

Embry heaved a sigh, making little droplets of water scatter from the leaves his nose was nearest. _'Well… there's smells of paint, and plenty of scurrying… A phone call or two but nothing really … I've been trying _not_ to listen.'_

_ 'Right.' _Embry could practically _feel_ Quil's smirk. _'Wouldn't wanna be a creeper.'_

_ 'Ass.'_

_ 'Grouch.' _

Embry had been grateful ever since the blinds and curtains had gone up in the windows… It felt like a gross exposure, and he was the violator. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in there.

_'You'll find out tomorrow.'_ Quil reminded.

Embry would've replied with something sarcastic, but the back door swung open suddenly. Joanna darted out, wearing a long windbreaker that seemed to go to her knees and a pair of old jeans. She jogged to the back gate, the gate practically right in front of Embry. She opened the gate slightly and lifted herself up on her tips toes, hastily shoving something small into a niche in the top of the post. She sighed softly and turned to leave, but her eyes fell on Embry. Her eyes doubled in size before she quickly took a giant step back, through the gateway.

_'Quick! Cock your head to the side!'_ Quil called. Embry did it, but mostly because he was wondering why Quil was so insistent on him doing it. _'Chicks love that adorable puppy look.' _Quil assured. Embry would've scowled if he could. Unfortunately Joanna's expression remained the same… it was too fearful to be wary, but too curious to be fear. _'Is it me, or does she seem different?'_ Quil briefly went over his memory of her earlier — when she had first seen him. She had been… well, bonkers.

Embry would've growled at that thought, but he really didn't want Joanna any more afraid than she already was.

_'You gotta admit, she was a lot more playful when she saw me… even when she saw Seth and Leah.' _Quil reminded, none too helpfully.

Embry levered himself up off the ground, lowering his head slightly, in hopes he wouldn't seem too large. Except for leaning back slightly, Joanna remained still. Still in form. Still shocked. Still frightened but curious.

"You're different." She murmured, her eyes transfixed on him. "Different from the other three… I wonder how many there could be." She blinked rapidly and smirked. "I'm a poet, and didn't know it." She rhymed.

_'She is _so _weird._' Quil complained. Embry snorted softly at Quil's statement. So what was wrong with a little weird?

"I know." Joanna mumbled. "I'm not a _good_ poet." She shrugged, her stare still on him. "It's… just a little rhyme Mama said when she'd make a rhyme by happy accident." Her grin fell slightly. "Kinda silly now that I think about it."

Embry had taken several steps forward, slowly drawing closer. The space between him and her fence was perhaps five feet now… it would be so easy to cross it.

_'Probably a bad idea, Bro. You wanna do a gradual introduction. Otherwise she may bolt.'_ Quil was right… technically. Joanna was more prone to flight than anything, it seemed.

She released a steadying breath. "Courage…" she breathed to herself. "Courage is not… the absence of fear." She swallowed hard. "It's the ability to act _in spite_ of fear." She released a shaky breath before slowly extending her arm forward, palm up. Almost as an afterthought, she took a small step forward, right in the open gateway. Her eyes left him for the first time, darting back and forth, as if she were afraid some unseen thing would snatch her away.

_'I'd never let anyone hurt you.'_ Embry thought firmly.

She took another moment, closing her eyes as if to remind herself to be brave… and then she took that last step forward. Embry ducked his head and whined as her hand gently brushed into the fur along his face. There was no rain any more… not for him. He was filled with warmth and peace. He barely even noticed when his tongue lolled out, as he panted happily. Her caress was strange like this… he wondered if it would feel the same, if she were to touch him as a man.

_'I'm gonna say, no. Not at all.'_ Quil joked, a bit of lewd humor seeping into his tone.

_'Beat it, Quil.'_ Embry snapped.

_'Yeah yeah. I was just about to, Oscar.'_ And then, Quil faded out of the pack bond, and Embry was left alone to enjoy this beautiful warmth. It was nothing like being turned on. Not at all. He had really been afraid that there might be… problems like _that_. Joanna was so timid, and though he had been no stallion, he certainly hadn't been a monk either. He would never _dream_ of pressuring her but… he was a man, and she was a woman… and he thought she was beautiful in every way. Sometimes, the body got in the way of things between two hearts, and he didn't want her any more scared than she already was.

"You're awfully warm…" Joanna murmured, a soft smile on her face but sheer wonder in her eyes. "…for a spirit." She finished, making Embry's eyes popped open.

_'Uhh…wha..?' _

"My big brother knows an awful lot about mythology and legends… and how the world works." It was funny how she was saying it… almost as if she felt she needed to sooth him. "He told me about the people, blessed by the wolf spirit, who turned into wolves to protect their own." She said, almost dreamily.

Embry almost didn't believe his ears. It wasn't as if their legends were a secret really… but… a Spirit? Really? She thought they were spirits? Protecting the people… well, that much was true. In a way, he could almost see how it was _more_ believable. The 'sprits of wolves still protect the people', verses 'local kids who shape shift into giant wolves'? Yes. Spirits definitely sounded more believable. It also sounded like something people could believe and then forget about. Many cultures talked about 'spirits' this and 'spirits' that, but no one really paid them any mind. They just went about their every-day lives, trying to forget about what they couldn't see.

She sighed. "I'm so glad I saw you." She had no idea how much he returned that sentiment. She smiled. "I almost wish I could invite you in… but I have a pet…" her expression scrunched up. "Well… not now, I don't, but I will… not that… I mean, do spirit wolves need to eat, even?" That was such a funny thing to think! She had no idea how much 'spirit wolves' could put away. "Anyway… Ricky will be here soon, and you'd probably scare the be-jeepers out of him… so…" she shivered. "Man, it's cold out here. I love the rain but…wow." He could feel her hand trembling, and though he was glad it wasn't from fear, he was shocked that she managed to stay out there in the cold rain this long. He dipped his head low, and softly shoved her back towards her own yard. She chuckled, giving him a final scratch along the underside of his jaw. "You're a good guardian." She said before shutting the gate and trotting back inside.

_'That was… weird. But good.'_ He thought happily. Weird but Good seemed describe everything about her.

* * *

><p>Joanna couldn't stop shaking. Partially giddy and partially frozen, she was all smiles when she went back into her house. She didn't mind the cold, and her encounter made her feel very daring. She hoped she could hold onto it. She peeled off her windbreaker. It took a bit more work to get her shoes and jeans off. The vibrant purple leggings she wore seemed to stand out from the charcoal gray, baggy shirt that hung over it. She chaffed her arms so that the tight sleeves would bunch up above her elbows. She suddenly remembered the wolf's warm brown eyes… it was so… beautiful. She wondered why she'd never noticed how beautiful wolves were before. Maybe because they were carnivores… Most of her animal art was small animals or herbivores. Several horses, cows, giraffes, hippos, along with ferrets, mice, a chinchilla or two, and tons and tons of rabbits. She enjoyed drawing rabbits… probably because she had such a good reference source. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even have any house cat art…which was odd since her best friend had been such a cat girl…She swallowed hard, pushing away the painful thoughts of her former best friend.<p>

Her eyes fell on the wall in the living room with the swatch experiments on them. She had managed her bedroom just fine. The paint job in there was all finished. Thankfully. Her sofa was comfy, but she enjoyed sleeping in her own bed, and the paint fumes had made that impossible. On the other hand, the living room was a complete mess. Well…not really. Everything was in order, as it had been before, but she _still_ hadn't decided what paint would suit best. She had gotten several paint samples from the hardware store (which was much smaller than she had imagined it would be), and she had painted a medium sized square of each color on the white wall. It wasn't that she didn't like what she had… She liked all the colors. In fact, that _was_ the problem. But the dark dark teal had gone in her bedroom… and navy would be too drab. The plum was nice… but dark and somewhat stale… nothing like the raspberry. She was fairly sure the chartreuse was too bright, but … it was a nice color. She sighed. She just….wasn't sure.

Shaking her head, she bunched up her hair a bit before tying it back and moving to the shadow boxes and frames on the floor. She still had a lot of artwork to frame and hang. And anything that took her mind off of tomorrow's visit from her new "friend" was a good thing.

* * *

><p>Embry tried to keep his enthusiasm down and reminded himself not to pound on her door. He'd actually gotten Jacob to drop him off as opposed to running here. He took a turn with each thing to stress about. Jacob, Quil, Seth, and Leah had taken an evil amount of joy in watching him stress over everything. He'd finally settled on a pair of jeans with a plaid shirt - green, black and a bit of pale yellow. Of course the biggest thing he had worried about was what time was appropriately 'ten-ish'. He didn't want to show up early, but he certainly didn't want to keep her waiting around. It was 10:08AM, and he was knocking on her door at last.<p>

Surprisingly, the door opened almost instantly…and instantly he was a little worried. She was smiling brightly, practically bouncing in place, but something in her eyes was a little off. "Everything alright?" He asked.

She giggled, nodding. "Sure, sure. Come in, before it decides to rain on you." She said.

He nodded and entered, being careful not to track anything in. Once she shut the door, he couldn't help but ask. "Are you sure?"

"Um.. Yeah."

"Right.." He said slowly, smirking. "Alright. Spill it, sister." She chuckled nervously.

"Is it that obvious?"

He arched an eyebrow. "No but… You seem a little… keyed up."

She arched her shoulders up, folding in on herself slightly. "I um… I guess, at some point yesterday… it occurred to me that I invited a guy over to my house… and that we'd be alone."

"Ah." He said. Suddenly, now that she'd pointed it out, he was very aware that they _were_ alone. He cleared his throat. "Why am I getting nervous?" he wondered out loud.

She chuckled. "It's silly." She said, the tension ebbing slightly. "It's just… I'm not that kind of girl, and I really don't want anyone thinking—" she stopped, her eyebrows pinching as she tried to figure out to explain.

"Oh, trust me. No one thinks that of you. You are so far out of my league." Embry said with a bright smile.

Joanna's eyebrows rose in obvious surprise. "… Are you sure that's not the other way around?"

"Well, my friends all know how much of a dork I am." He said with a soft chuckle.

"Um.. You wanna sit?" She asked, motioning towards the living room.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah." There was a few minutes in which they settled down. She took the chair which had a window behind it, and he sat just near the edge of the sofa. "So… this awkward for you too, right?"

"Very." She murmured with a nod.

"You said something about drawing."

"Right!" She said enthusiastically, almost as if she had forgotten about it entirely.

"I'd like to ask a bit about that."

"Oh.. Ok. What would you like to know?"

"Well, since we've established that you aren't 'that type' of girl, I can assume they aren't nudes." He wondered how long it'd take him to get her eyebrows to disappear into her hairline. It didn't take long at all.

"N-….no." She said, her eyes wide.

"Guess I got that bikini wax for nothing." He joked and she giggled, shaking her head.

"That's terrible."

"You're not the one who got the wax." He said with a smirk.

She chuckled, licking her lips and bitting her bottom lip. "Was there a serious question that you actually wanted to ask?"

"Well.. I dunno. I mean… you said you like to have reference for drawing, but I'm still not sure what it is… you want to reference… I mean…"

"Um. Well, your face of course. And your hands…" she paused, staring at the hands in question. "You have… _very_ nice hands."

He held up his hands away from himself, eyeing them speculatively. "You're the artist…" he said skeptically.

She pursed her lips - he assumed in frustration at his skepticism - and reached for his nearest hand. "May I?" she asked. It was needless, but he nodded. She took his hand and he focused on making sure the heavy swallows he felt the need to make weren't thunderously loud. She put his finger together and smoothed both hands over either side of his hands. She separated his fingers, and rubbed hers in between his. She smiled softly. "Your hands are sinewy but not thick or pudgy. Your fingers are long but not knobby or boney. You have calluses..but… but your skin _isn't_ abrasive." She'd managed to maintain eye contact up till this point. Then she smiled, somewhat self consciously, looking down. He was caught. Caught, snared and for all purposes entirely immobilized by the simple beauty of her lashed resting on her cheeks. "Your hands are _very_ nice." When her eyes returned to his face, he was still stunned.

"Uh… uh-huh." He muttered dumbly.

"I've embarrassed you, haven't I?" She asked, biting the side of her lip before offering him a smiling.

He blinked, trying to get his bearings. "No. Uh…" he scratched his chin, trying to laugh it off. "Not really, it's just." He sighed. "It's been a while since a girl paid any attention to me… and I'm pretty sure the few who did weren't looking at my hands." He chuckled softly.

"Well…" her face blanked a bit as she looked him over. "you do have a pretty amazing torso as well." She admitted with a nod.

He looked at her, his face puckered somewhere between confusion and shock.

"I haven't seen your legs, but I'm pretty sure they're probably very nice too…." She stopped, her wide eyes darting to his, as if only realized what she was saying.

"If you want to examine my torso and legs, this could get a whole lot more awkward." He said with a smile. She laughed, and he was relieved. He wanted her to relax around him. He wanted her to realize he was making jokes for his benefit as much as hers. If she didn't see that, he would've had to find another way to put her at ease, and that would've taken a lot longer. Perhaps, it would've involved skills he wasn't sure he had. But she understood.

"Yeah, um. I don't think we'll worry about that."

"So, uh, you just wanna draw my face and hands?"

She nodded. "For now." She said, and he was happy to realize she seemed so much more relaxed than she'd been when he arrived. She reached into the empty space between her chair and the end table that spanned from his corner of the couch to her chair. She pulled out her large sketch pad along with a set of color pencils. "Eyes, Face and Hands are a good starting point. Eyes are very necessary."

"Right… so, I just…" he shrugged awkwardly. He really wasn't sure what to do, or what it was she needed. "I mean do I just look at you?" She nodded and stared intently. She cocked her head to the side slightly, and he found himself looking away. He remembered himself and blanked his expression as best he could before he looked back to her. She smiled and began sketching. Long minutes passed. Her sketching pen and an occasional drizzle were the only sounds to be heard.

"Um.. So?" he began. "Can I talk, or will that be a bad thing?"

She smiled softly. "You can. I have your face, so it won't really bother me."

"You have my face?" He asked somewhat blandly.

"Yes. Your blank face." She said, smirking as she showed him the sketch pad. It was his face…only entirely blank. His eyes and mouth weren't there… just his brow and his nose.

"Blank face." He said chuckling. "I get it."

"I like to start with the base and then move on. _Now_, I'll draw your eyes." She smiled as her eyes darted between him and her sketchpad. "You know… animals are much easier to draw. And women… but without someone to reference, men seem very difficult for me for some odd reason." She said, shaking her head in self disapproval.

Again, long minutes were passing. Embry was finding it easier to be content and simply stare at her as she worked. He had so many questions, but seeing her like this was almost better. She seemed so alive… energetic. He couldn't help but smile.

"So… have you always wanted to be an artist?"

"Not exactly." She murmured, still sketching. "When I was a girl I wanted to be a dolphin."

He chuckled. "I'm kinda glad that fell through."

She nodded. "Me too." She murmured. "But I've always been able to draw… I wasn't always as capable of portraying whatever it was I wanted to portray, though." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I suppose it's like anything… you have to practice in order to get better."

He nodded. "So… uh… what are you doing here anyway?" he asked. She stopped and looked up at him curiously. "I mean, La Push isn't exactly the artistic land of opportunity." He joked. "Unless you're working on being a starving artist or something."

She smiled and returned to her work. "No. I have an … 'Uncle'." She said, but then her face screwed up in uncertainty before her gaze returned to him. "Well, he's really Stan and Cassie's cousin. He owns an art gallery and a studio and he's looking into starting his own fashion line…" she said, releasing a hefty sigh. "He wants to see some of my artwork, and if he approves… he may partner with me on a casual clothing line."

Embry's jaw hung open slightly. "Joanna, that's amazing." He said shocked. She smiled but shrugged as if to downplay it. "No really! It is…" he said, beginning to think she was unaware of how incredible that was.

"It's nothing final yet… Just a big maybe." She said.

"Wait a minute…that still doesn't explain why you're _here_."

"Oh…" Joanna's expression became slightly shocked. "I guess I didn't explain… Uncle J's studio is based in Seattle." She informed. "I suppose I could've moved there but…" she shrugged. "I don't really like big cities that much. When Zach told me we had this house here, I just jumped at it."

"Huh." Embry murmured. "That makes sense. An artist needs quiet… and we have that here."

She smiled and nodded.

"Is this your first place?" he asked.

Her face paled, her expression wane and stricken. It took her a moment to rally. "No." She said softly. Many long minutes passed as he thought over her response to that. It was obviously not something she wanted to share. And it was also something very painful or very frightening to remember…. Or both.

"Joanna?" He said at last. She carefully peered over at him. "I won't force you to tell me, you know." He said, trying to be as comforting as possible. "I'd never… I'd never force you." He shook his head, not sure how to convey the feeling behind that. She gave him a tiny wounded smile and nodded, and he sighed in relief. "I mean…If I have to force anything out of you, it's just not as enjoyable. I'd rather you just…tell me on your own. Maybe one day you will."

She nodded slowly. "Maybe one day." She said her voice a low whisper. "But not today."

He nodded. "Trust me, you aren't the only one who has secrets they're not so sure they should share."

Her smile was a bit more playful this time. She cleared her throat before she spoke, and this time her tone was normal again."Oh? I thought you said this was a quiet town."

He had to stop for a moment, schooling his expression carefully. The part of him that wanted to be honest warring with the part of him that knew better. The part that knew to be careful. To soften the blow. You don't just _tell_ someone about the underground war between vampires and werewolves that occurred in this oh-so-quiet town.

He shrugged. "We managed." He said at last.

She smirked. "I did hear about the rash of murders and disappearances that occurred a few years ago."

_'Oh, please don't let her ask. Please, please, please.'_ If she asked, what could he say? What was the middle ground between softening the blow and telling the truth?

"Oh dear." He heard her say and met her eyes. "You look horribly pensive now…"

He tried to chuckle, but it sounded weak. "I uh… I don't exactly run with a bad crowd, you know?" she paused in her work, tilting her head slightly as if she didn't understand. "We kind of appointed ourselves as a gang… well, a good gang. We make sure nothing and no one that can hurt the people on the Rez are around." He nodded. "My mom though, she didn't really understand that. I kept trying to explain that we weren't doing anything bad…" he shook his head. This was true. All of it. It wasn't an answer to her unasked questions. But it was what he could give her. If he could muster it up. "Uh, she kept forbidding me to leave the house at night, and… I had an obligation to watch out for the guys…" he sighed. "Eventually, she got tired of me breaking the rules, and… we haven't spoken since then." Her expression had changed from confused to sympathetic. "I know that's not… I mean, we weren't really talking about that, but it.. It was during that time."

"She was worried about you." Joanna said.

Embry chuckled softly. "She could've trusted me." He shrugged.

"Trust had nothing to do with it." Joanna replied. "You're her son… Mothers always worry." She shook her head. "It had nothing to do with you joining a gang or a monastery or a garage band. It was that she was worried. She wanted you safe."

"I _was_ safe." Embry said with a big smile. "You've seen the guys… safest place to be is surrounded by them!"

Joanna shrugged. "I imagine that didn't comfort her much." She said simply. "What about your father? What did he have to say about all this?"

"I don't have one." He said dismissively. Joanna stared at him blankly, blinking in confusion as she processed his answer. "That is… I've never had one around… and I know that she lied to me about who he was. And I sure as hell don't wanna know now, since I know…" he sighed before admitting the truth. " …it was one of my three friends dad's. I mean, it wouldn't be so bad, but at the time all three of them were hitched."

Joanna's mouth had slowly been getting wider and wider along with her eyes. "Boy…this town's just a dark soap opera full of surprises." She murmured.

He chuckled. "You have no idea."

Her eyes returned to her sketchpad, and for a while there was silence again. But then she sighed. "I don't remember my father." She said at last. Embry's gaze focused on her face more clearly now. "I know about him, but I don't remember him." She said with a tiny nod. "I know that at one point he was happy and good. And I know that he loved my mother _very_ much." She let out a gusty sigh, her eyes never averting from her sketchpad. "And I know that when she died in a car accident, his world fell apart and he started drinking. He stopped caring about everything. I know that I learned to stay out of his way early on. And I know… I know that he hurt me when he drank too much."

The sound of fabric straining penetrated the stillness as Embry's grip on the sofa's arm tightened harshly.

"I know that eventually someone came to inquire why I wasn't coming to school anymore, and I know that they found me emaciated, dirty and bruised…." She nodded again. "I _know_ all that, but I don't _remember_ it." She heaved a breath, feeling like a solid weight was on her chest after going through all of that. "I _do_ remember sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office… and I _do_ remember Mama coming in. She was a tiny woman. So petite and pale. She had long platinum blond hair with sandy spots here and there… She always had this long blanket like shawl… and she wore it slung around her back with the edges of it dipped past the crooks of her elbows." Joanna didn't even realize that a smile was beginning to form on her face. "I remember sitting there, feeling so lost and alone and then she came in… she looked around, she spotted me and smiled. And she walked over and slung that shawl up and over her head and behind me. She wrapped me up in it and took me in her arms… and I felt safe and loved. Ever since then, I've been her's."

Joanna's eyes suddenly came up to Embry's, as if she only just remembered that he was there.

"I…uh.." She muttered. "I just… I figured it was only fair… with you talking about your own soap opera…"

Embry nodded. "The beginning's rough but the end sounds real nice."

Joanna swallowed past the heaviness in her throat. "I hope I'm far from my ending." She murmured with a tiny smile.

"Me too." Embry said.

* * *

><p>Their time together seemed to be moving too fast for Embry's taste. She managed to draw his face and neck, and then she directed him into a few different expressions. He had no idea how she managed to draw so efficiently in such short time… or maybe he was more tolerant of posing because it was her. When she finished drawing his hands, she asked if he wanted some lunch… He couldn't turn her down for a couple of reasons. Namely, 1) he was always hungry; And, 2) he really didn't want to leave. She smiled and entered the kitchen, appearing more than happy to fix something for them. Finally he worked up the nerve to ask if he could see some of her other art. She relented the sketch pad she had been so attached to. Along with what she had already drawn of him, he managed to see the drawing she had started the day they were working on the fence.<p>

The four of guys were featured along with her back yard and the normal scenery there and beyond. However, while the four men working on the fence and most of the scenery looked normal, one thing had been altered significantly. The simple gateway had been redone as an lattice archway, and through it a different sort of scenery was portrayed. While the woods and normal scenery may have been all around the archway, through it was what appeared to be a unicorn walking across still water; the only way you could tell it was water was from the ripples extending from the unicorn's hooves. It was very… interesting. Joanna had appeared bashful, saying that it was far from finished as she hadn't shaded or colored anything yet. Still Embry could see the idea behind the image clearly.

Then he turned to the next page and his eyebrows rose. "You uh… like wolves?" he asked as she muddled about the kitchen.

Joanna froze, realizing the image he was on. "Uh… well, I don't… _dis_like wolves." She said. When he nodded and continued to stare at the drawing she stuttered more of a reply. "I uh, I just… I don't have a lot of …wolf art. And, I uh, I guess I just… got struck with the need to have some in my collection."

He nodded, smiling at the drawing. It was him and her… she didn't know that of course. It was him in his wolf form laying on the soft grass with the wood behind him, and she was curled up against him… sleeping as he watched over her with caring eyes. In the top corner of the paper was the word 'Guardian', which he remembered her calling him yesterday. Suddenly he _wanted_ this. He wanted it fully done, framed, the works.

"Well, this is… great." He said at last with a breathy laugh. "It's … really powerful." He continued with a nod. "If I had any money, I'd buy it from you."

She smiled. "It is sort of … special."

"Yeah." He said, and then realized that she had no idea why it would be special to him. "There are stories… you know. Passed down from the elders about the wolves and our people." He tried to explain and she nodded.

"Yeah… I think I may've heard a few." She said with a smile.

He smiled. "I think a wolf this size would be a little scarey though." He murmured, trying to hide his smirk.

"Yeah.." She chuckled faintly and ducked her head. "Soup's on." She said softly, almost as if she wanted to distract him but didn't want to pull him away from the book. "Just club sandwiches I'm afraid."

He set the sketch pad down and walked over to grab the plate she was handing him. "I ain't too proud." Embry said with a smile. She chuckled at that. "So uh…" he began after he swallowed his first bite. "I was wondering… I mean, maybe this is kind of rushing things but… You know, we have bar-b-ques and get-togethers all the time… You kinda crashed one when we met." He said with a sheepish smile.

She nodded a similar shy smile playing about her lips.

"Well… the reason I'm mentioning it is… we have 'em every few weeks or so and… I guess .. I mean, if you weren't doing anything… I was wondering if you'd like to go?"

She blinked. "Oh." There was a beat of silence as she looked down at her plate. "Oh."

"Oh?" Embry asked softly.

"I'm, uh… I'm really not good with groups… or people in general." She said with a depreciating laugh.

Embry nodded. "I kinda noticed." He said with a little chuckle. "But… I mean we won't bite." His smile got bigger. "And you can always leave. I'd walk you home…"

She nodded, her eyes still averted. "This is… hard to explain."

"OK… I'm listening." He replied carefully.

"I probably should go… It would probably help. But… going is hard." She sighed. "I uh… I have this tic.."

"Tic?"

"Yeah…" she smiled again, as if it were funny. As if making it funny would somehow make it better. "Doctors call it severe social anxiety disorder and borderline agoraphobia."

"Huh… I take it that's something a pill won't help you with?"

She chuckled, so glad that he could listen so openly. There was no judgment in his voice and it made talking to him so much easier. "Yeah.. Well, I can take a pill but it'd knock me on my ass for a while." She shook her head. "Not really good for parties."

"I imagine… what do all those big words _mean_ exactly?"

She paused and took a sip of her sprite. "People scare me. Leaving my house scares me."

"…You left your house the other day to walk to the beach.."

"Yes… and it was something I had to put a lot of effort into. I didn't just decide to go, I had to really work myself up to doing it… even then… it felt like a chore." She was grateful that he seemed content to talk between bites of food. In the time it took him or her to take a bite and chew, the other asked a question or said something… and chewing and swallowing allowed for time to think between answers. "And I'm sure you realized that my reaction to meeting you guys wasn't exactly normal."

He nodded. "We freaked you out… I thought maybe it was jut because you were a girl, alone and we had surprised you…" he thought for a moment before asking. "Wait… you grew up in a big foster home with tons of siblings…"

"Uh… well yeah… It sort of developed after that…"

"After that? Like, when you moved into your first house?" He asked carefully, not sure if referencing such a sore spot was a good idea. Her eyes snapped up to his and began to water. No… not water. Her gaze had gone glassy, and she blinked rapidly to avoid tearing up. "It's bad isn't it? The thing you can't talk about?" she nodded vigorously, still unable to speak. She crammed a large bite of sandwich into her mouth just to have something else to focus on. Once she'd chewed and swallowed he asked. "Do you need me to kill somebody?"

She actually chuckled briefly, a bit shocked by the offer. But the she shook her head. "No. Stan and Ben took care of it…" she continued before he could ask who Ben was or how they'd taken care of it. "But the stress and… everything. It lead to me never wanting to leave my apartment and being extremely paranoid."

"I… I mean… how can you stand me being here?" he asked finally.

She smiled. "It was an effort at first… especially before…" she sighed. "But I think with Stan being here with you before…and you were here all day helping out… and today has been…" she paused her smile getting wider. "It's been _fun_. I mean.. really fun." She sighed and shrugged. "Besides… Stan _did _put in a good word for you…"

"He did?" Embry asked, somewhat shocked. Stan had made it very clear that he didn't want Embry hurting his sister… He had assumed that Joanna's very large brother would want them to take things pretty slow…. Especially considering all he'd learned about her today. He just really didn't expect Stan to approve of him at this point.

"Yes." Joanna said with a chuckle, amused at Embry's gobsmacked expression.

"Huh." Embry said, taking a thoughtful moment to chew on another bite. "So… so what you're saying is, you _should _go because it'll be good for you to get out of the house and meet new people… but you don't really _want_ to go?"

Joanna's eyes slide away, focusing on some speck on the wall as she thought that over. "Yes." She said at last with a nod. "That about sums it up."

"So… where does that leave us?" Embry said with a smile.

Joanna sighed. "When is this gathering?"

He shrugged. "Probably next weekend."

She nodded, her eyes down as she thought it over. "I suppose… if you come and get me." She said. "I would be more likely to go."

"I will come and get you." He said then paused. "Did that sound too creepy?"

She chuckled. "No."

"Good."

"From what I remember of my walk to the beach, there were quite a few people at your last gathering…" She murmured, and he could tell there was a question hidden in that statement.

"Well yeah… the guys, their significant others, a few parents and kids…" he saw her nodding, but he could see a tension building around her eyes. "It's not quite like the gathering run by the elders of course." He said off hand.

"…Run by the elders?" she asked, the tenseness replaced by curiosity.

He had hoped that would peek her interest. "Yeah… those are always a bit more low-key." He said with a nod. "Jake's dad, Billy? He usually runs the show… we all get together and sit around this big fire, and he tells us the legends of our people." He said with a nod. "It's really… amazing, actually." He could see the wistfulness flickering through her eyes, the outright longing. "You know… maybe I could introduce you, and score you a seat at one of our story sessions."

She took a deep breath and it came out in a glitchy sob. "That would-I would- Yes. Please."

He laughed, happy to see her looking so excited at the prospect of a gathering. "You like old stories?"

"Are you kidding?" She said with a bright smile. "Most of my artwork is based around old stories, Aesop's fables, and little fairy tales Mama would always tell us. I love the idea of expanding creativity by listening to stories that have come from years of culture."

He smiled almost wickedly. "Well then I will definitely have to introduce you to Billy at the party." Now that she definitely had something to gain by going, she would absolutely _be_ going. People tended to do things when there was some personal gain in it for them. And since she was his imprint, it would be nothing to convince Billy that she should come and hear their legends.

She eyed him, a grin working across her face. "Hm… charm, wit, and brains… You're so much more than just another pretty face." She said, and he ducked his head so that he wouldn't loose the bite of sandwich he'd just taken. Still, his body shook from the laughter.

* * *

><p>It was late in the afternoon when Embry finally left Joanna's house. He had talked more about the Quileute gatherings, and about helping her paint her living room. Finally, he'd managed to work up the nerve to ask for her phone number, which he was very thankful to note, she gave him without a second thought. He had promised to call her about maybe introducing her to a few other people in the group before the big gathering. The idea was that if she met a few people before hand, she wouldn't behave like 'an utter spaz' during the party (her words, not his).<p>

As he walked through the forest, he couldn't help but think that life was looking up. Joanna didn't seem terrified of him anymore. In fact she seemed quite receptive to having him around more often. She wanted to work past her problems (even if she couldn't share everything in her past), and it seemed that he was who she was willing to work with. Hell, even the sky had let up. The pale gray clouds had stopped shedding their rain. Life was good.

And then a shiver raced up his spine and arms, making the hair on his body stand on end. He stood still and just listened, his eyes darting from tree to tree. He listened to the wood around him go utterly still. What had triggered this? He couldn't spot anything...

A gusty woosh followed by a soft thud to his left was all the warning he had. He turned just slightly, to see a man with long black hair slide from his left to just in front of him. The man was tall and thin, with pale skin... and very bright red eyes. He grinned at Embry as if he knew all secrets.

"Tag." He spat. "You're it." and then he leapt back into the darkness of the wood.

And the chase was on.

* * *

><p>Liked? Loved? Want some more of? :3 Lemme know! Peace out!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

I deserve to have someone come and beat me with a stick… And how is everyone else? :)

Yea, it's been a while. College kicked my butt -..- Happy to say, I'll be taking a creative writing class this coming semester (which is about to start this Monday!).

But, let's move on to the story, shall we? Please do enjoy…

* * *

><p>Embry tore through the woods after the damned blood sucker. It was a good half hour before he slowed down. And then, only when he couldn't spot the parasite, did he remember to howl. He had to alert the rest of the pack, after all. It took only a few minutes for the pack bond to start buzzing with voices.<p>

_'A bloodsucker?'_

_ 'Not a Cullen.'_

_ 'Why's he here?'_

_ 'Coincidence?'_

_ 'How should I know! I've only been chasing him!'_ Embry quipped back.

_'Geeze, Embry, how long did you let that tic play tag with you?' _Leah asked.

_'Feels like about half an hour or so… maybe longer. I dunno.'_

_'Why didn't you howl right away?' _Jacob asked.

_'Because…. I don't.. Aw, hell, Jake. He was right near Joanna's back yard…'_

_'Oh, that makes sense.'_ Quil said. _'If it were Claire, I'd want it as far away from her as I could get it, and to hell with the rest of the pack.'_ Embry felt Seth and Jacob agreeing and sympathizing through the bond… which was peculiar since Seth hadn't experienced the all-encompassing need to protect an imprint… what with not having one yet.

_ 'That's no excuse.'_ Leah growled. _'You should have howled right away.'_

_'Oh yeah, and then Joanna would've been curious to see if the wolves were back, and she would've come out, and God only knows what would've happened.'_ Embry groused. And then they were there with him. Not just via pack bond, but physically bounding through the brush. He continued to scan the trees while the others picked up its trail and caught its scent.

'_It doesn't _smell_ like one of them…'_ Seth observed.

_'Huh?'_ Embry blinked and bent to take in the scent as well. It didn't. It smelled strange, wild, and inhuman….but the burning, revolting smell was missing. It was a musky sort of scent, no doubt about that… very earthy, but it almost smelled as though it belong there in the woods. But he had been right there! It landed there not five minutes ago only to spring back up into the trees.

_'It ran from tree to tree?' _Quil asked with a scoff. _'Gay.'_

_'And it just jumped out in front of you and yelled "tag"?' _ Jacob asked, squinting at the canopy.

_'Weird _and_ gay.'_ Quil corrected with a snort.

_'This isn't funny.'_ Embry growled.

_'Either way, I gotta tell Sam… and Nessie.' _Jacob muttered before letting out a howl.

_'Do you think the Cullen's would know something about this?'_ Seth asked, panting as his eyes darted around for any clues to where the leach could've gone. _'I mean, vampires talk, right? And one this weird is bound to be known.'_

_ 'Dunno. That's why I'm gonna ask.' _Jacob replied. It was nagging at the back of his mind. The scent was just all wrong. Nessie didn't smell exactly like a vampire either, but this was different… even for a half blooded vampire.

_'Knowing Sam, he's probably already on his way…' _Leah grumbled.

_'Probably…'_ Jacob responded pensively. _'Leah, do you think you and Seth could run a wide perimeter sweep?'_

_ 'On it.'_ Leah replied with a bark, leaping into a run. She was more than grateful to have any excuse not to be around when Sam did appear.

_'Hey wait up!'_ Seth called following behind.

_'It's so bizarre. Usually we know we'll see one of 'em by the smell, or the random missing person's reports that start popping up.'_ Quil said.

_'Either way, I don't want anyone alone in the woods anymore. Two's the minimum.'_

_ 'Minimum for what, now?' _Sam was asking as he drew nearer. The great black shadow moved through the woods, skidding to a halt near them. Jacob quickly relayed Embry's memory of the vampire he'd been chasing. Sam's hackles rose with a dangerous growl. _'Just the one?' _he asked.

_'So far.' _Jacob drew away from where the bloodsucker's footprints were, letting Sam take in the scent. On friendly terms? Absolutely. But Sam and Jacob were still two Alphas, and as courteous as they tried to be sometimes instinct took over and being close wasn't safe for anyone.

_'Lets hope it stays that way.'_ Sam thought.

_'Yeah. I'm gonna ask Nessie about it… see if her folks can help figure out why this one's so… weird.'_

Sam literally nodded, his huge wolf head dipping. _'I'll spread the word. The woods of La Push will be guarded well.'_

_'Crap.'_ Embry thought.

_'What?'_ Quil asked.

_'I'm gonna have to go back and get my cell phone… and the bits of clothes I left behind.'_

* * *

><p>After Embry had left, Joanna gathered up her art supplies and stood in the middle of her living room for quite a while. She ambled slowly to her office, mulling over the days events in her mind. She sighed as she set her sketch pad down on the table. Embry had been… accepting. Very open and gentlemanly. She straddled a stool and leaned over the sketchpad, using her charcoal pencils to shade her raw drawings. She shaded his eyes and face properly before carefully picking up her color pencils.<p>

Just as she'd picked up one of her color pencils, a howl echoed from outside. She froze, looking up and around and just waiting. When stillness returned she ricocheted off the stool and ran through her house turning off all the lights. She locked her back door and then her front, turning about and slowly sliding down against the door. A few minutes later another howl sounded through the stillness, perviously only broken by her breathing. Joanna couldn't help but wonder what the in the world had gotten the wolves' attention. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

She gave a little gasping squeak when someone knocked on her door.

"Joanna? You alright?"

"R-Rhonda!" Joanna cried, jumping up and unlocking the door. "Finally!"

Upon opening the door, Joanna was greeted not only by Rhonda, but the big ball of golden brown fluff Rhonda practically shoved in her face. "Tada."

"Godric!" Joanna cried joyfully, taking the fluffy golden rabbit from Rhonda and cradling him against her chest. "Oh, Ricky, I've missed you!" she cooed, carefully scratching the top of his head. Godric - or Ricky - had been her's for four years now. She'd gotten him from an accidental liter, and had begun handling him so early that he had no problem with humans. He would lay in her lap or against her shoulders or chest or belly or just nearby, but he never ran from her. She looked him over and smiled. "You need your nails trimmed again." She said with a smile.

Rhonda cleared her throat, an amused expression on her face.

"Oh… Oh, for goodness sake, come in." Joanna said with a sheepish smile. Rhonda picked up Godric's litter box. "Are his litter pellets in the car?"

Rhonda nodded. "A full bag of that and green hay. That rabbit is so spoiled." She murmured as she set the litter box down against the wall just inside the door. Joanna didn't notice that Rhonda wasn't alone until she heard the car door slam. The breath left Joanna's body as her eyes landed on Miranda… the sister she'd hurt with cruel and bitter words so long ago.

Miranda hadn't changed very much. Her bouncy golden hair cascaded around her in waves that Joanna envied. Her form was fit and curvy. She wore a black shirt with what looked like dark red graffiti across it, faded jeans that had patches and holes, though Joanna could spy black leggings through those holes. Her face had a youthful, almost adorable quality that many people found innocent upon first sight… talk about a ridiculous assumption. But her beautiful green eyes were distant and guarded. She was obviously uncomfortably being here, not that Joanna could blame her.

_'Stupid whore!' _Joanna winced, swallowing hard as she remembered her own words. How could she have been so vicious to someone so dear to her?

She blinked in confusion when she realized that Rhonda was taking Godric from her hands. The blue-eyed red head gave Joanna a knowing look before slipping inside. Joanna stared at Miranda for what seemed like ages. Miranda crossed her arms over her chest, her hands gripping the opposite elbow nervously.

"I'm so sorry." Joanna whispered at last. Miranda's eyes snapped up. "I'm so, _so_ sorry." Joanna said again, because she was. And she'd apologize as many times as it took.

Miranda bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah." She said, her voice scratchy. "Me too."

A sobbing sigh sifted from Joanna, relief seeping into her. Miranda's right hand drifted up to her left shoulder, messaging the area between her shoulder and the side of her neck nervously.

"Did Rhonda ask you to come with her?" Joanna asked, not sure what else to say.

"Hm?" Miranda blinked distractedly. "Oh. Not exactly." She shrugged and began ambling towards the house. "Stan called and… he was trying to cajole me into coming… but then Cass grabbed the phone and _told_ me to come."

Joanna nodded. That did sound right. Cassie and Miranda had always been close… most likely, because it was Cassie who 'found' Miranda and brought her home. Cassie had always supported Miranda in changing her life for the better. When Cassie said something needed to be done, ten-to-one, Miranda would find a way to do it.

"S'it warm out here?" Miranda asked, rubbing at the left side of her collar bone.

"Warm?" Joanna asked incredulously. She wasn't complaining. She liked the cool Washington weather… but _warm_?

"You're right… I must be having a hot flash." Miranda murmured uneasy.

"Come inside." Joanna said timidly, and Miranda nodded. Things were still uncomfortable… but they had made a start. As the two women returned inside, neither of them noticed the smiling face hidden within the darkness of the tree branches above, or the twinkling eyes that watched them.

* * *

><p><em> 'Leah.'<em> Seth groaned via the mind link. _'At least let me catch up! You're a half mile away.'_ He could feel Leah's snort without having to be near her. He felt a strange prickle of cold wash down his back, making his fur stand on end. He slowed to a walk and looked around at the trees.

_'You know, if you actually want to catch up, you're going about it all wrong.'_ Leah snipped at him.

_'Ha ha.' _Seth snorted back. _'Something just feels… weird.'_

"What are you looking for?" a young girl's voice captured his attention.

_'Aw, man!'_

_ 'I can't even—'_

When his eyes landed on her, his lips turned up into a snarl. She was…maybe 12, at the most. Her long black hair was held back from her face by a crimson red ribbon that tied up on the top of her head. Only her bangs spilled forward. Her skin was pale, and she wore a crimson dress with a strange lacy black apron over it, black stockings and red shiny shoes. And red eyes. Crimson red eyes bore into him. They appeared to twinkle, almost as if she was happy to see him.

_'Holy f—'_

_ 'It's like a reverse Alice in Wonderland or something.' _That came from Quil, who was getting very strange looks via the pack link right now. _'What? Claire loves that Disney crap!'_ he defended.

"That's not a very nice way to greet someone." The girl said, slowly walking forward. "I only asked what you were looking for." She reminded. Seth's fur stood on end as he growled harshly at her.

_'Are they allowed to make 'em that young?' _That was Embry. Seth could feel the rest of the pack running as fast as they could to catch up to his position. It wouldn't be long.

_'I don't _think_ so.' _Jacob responded.

The girl, for her part looked hurt. Betrayed and scared at Seth's reactions.

"I don't want to hurt you." She assured, fear creeping into her tone. She sniffled, her eyes shinning realistically.

_'What the… Hang on a second! Can they cry?'_ Leah asked, still running desperately to close the gap between them.

Seth had gone still and silent in shock. _'I don't think so…' _he said. He whined at her, but it was a little late for that. Her dark lashes had squinted closed, but when she opened her eyes tears crested those lashes and overran her face. Seth's nose twitched as he leaned forward just slightly. Unfortunately, the damage was done and she skipped back a pace or so. What was fortunate, was that his nose was stronger than the distance between them.

_'So… she's like the other one?'_ Embry asked.

_'She doesn't smell like a vampire at all.'_ Seth concluded. Seth panted, whining again in hopes of conveying that he wasn't going to hurt her.

She sniffled more, pulling a burgundy handkerchief out of her apron and covering her face. Tiny hands covered in black lace gloves clung to that handkerchief. "Did I startle you?" she asked, still blinking back tears as she peeked over the top of the handkerchief. "I didn't mean to."

_'Um, you guys may want to… not show up. I mean, she's pretty scared.'_ Seth said.

_'A little late for that, bro.'_ Leah said, entering the small clearing from the north. She jogged over to Seth's side and stared the little girl down.

_'Besides, it could be a trap or something.' _ Jacob warned.

_'I don't think so…'_ Seth responded. But, like Leah had said. It was too late. The others came in from the west and fanned out, mostly leaving the girl alone and joining Seth and Leah. The girl was visibly shaking at the sight of so many wolves.

_'Um, she may be a lot younger than you thought, dude. I mean… is it possible she thought you were just a dog or something?'_ Quil asked.

_'Who knows?'_

The girl's eyes grew round an wide and she froze. But she wasn't looking at them. Her gaze slowly turned until it landed on Sam's hulking form. An enormous nightmare shadow with vicious looking teeth. The girl's face was that of pure horror, and she took a deep breath before letting out the shrillest scream they'd ever heard. It was long and echoing, a piercing sound that bordered the supernatural… and it physically _hurt_ to hear it. Sam backed further into the shadows, and the wolves whined and howled, begging for the sound to stop. Finally, she ran out of breath. Her knees buckled, and she sat a huddled mess of shivering dark Lolita. Seth whined, pitying the poor thing. He carefully strode forward, keeping himself low to the ground.

_'Seth!'_ Leah warned.

_'She's just a little girl.'_ Seth snapped. A rustle of leaves stopped him, as though something had hit a branch up high. Seth had just enough time to take a step back when the man Embry had chased away earlier landed hard, making ruts in the dirt until he stopped between the wolves and the girl. His pupils were pinpoint, which only made his glowing red eyes seem more inhuman. He hissed at them, his lips pulling back up over his teeth wildly, and began to stride forward aggressively.

"Enough." The familiar baritone made them all flinch. The red-eyed wild man stopped advancing, and the wolves all hunkered down, poised to take a flying leap back into the underbrush. The wolves watched as Stanley and another man, just as tall but somehow more muscled than Stan, walked forward. The unknown man put one hand on top of the red-eyed man's head, snapping his attention away from the wolves. The physical contact made the man blink out of his thousand-yard stare, and that was when they realized that his eyes were actually glowing. The only reason they realized this is because they stopped glowing. The red-eyed man shook himself, turning and scooping the little red-eyed girl up into his arms. He whispered comforting words to her, that he was here and she didn't have anything to worry about. The big man let his eyes rake over the wolf pack momentarily, before he nodded at Stanley and walked away. The red-eyed man followed his lead, walking at the unknown man's side into the dark. Stanley continued watching the wolf pack until all traces of them were gone.

_'Uh… ok. So what now?'_ Embry asked. There was no way in hell he could knowingly bring harm to Stan… He was connected to Joanna for one, and… well… he wasn't evil. Wicked? Sure, sometimes, but not evil.

_'I was hoping someone else would know what the hell we should do, actually.'_ Leah said.

_'Sam? Ideas?'_ Jacob asked. He could hear Sam sighing mentally in response.

Stanley shook his head and turned around, walking back out of the clearing the same way he'd walked in. "Take your people and go home." He said simply. And they all watched his retreating back.

_'Someone… please tell me what just happened?'_ Quil begged.

_'People…'_ Jacob murmured and Sam looked to him in question. The other's were watching as Stanley's back became almost invisible in the moonlight. _'He didn't say 'pack' or… or anything that implied he was talking to wolves. He said, 'take your __people__ and go home'.' _

_ 'Do you suppose he knew those…uh… non-vampires?' _Seth asked. Sam walked over to sniff around the tracks.

_'And who was the guy that walked into the woods with him?'_ Embry asked.

_'Yeah… And what did that guy look like?'_ Leah said. _'If I'm being honest, I can't even remember.'_

_'Well, he was tan, with back hair and hazel eyes, about as big as a bear and looked about as friendly.'_ Quil replied.

_'Really.'_ Leah said in agreement.

_'Perhaps, you all should go home.'_ Sam was saying to Jacob. _'Get a chance to get this scent and then head back home. It looks like there are no more monsters in the woods tonight at least.' _As he spoke it, Seth was already walking over to take in the various scents. _'We can reconvene at my place to discuss what's happened tonight.'_

_ 'Good idea.' _ Jacob replied, stepping forward as Sam rejoined the shadows of the wood. '_Both packs might be able to come up with something…'_

_ 'Be sure to bring Billy.'_ Sam said before leaving entirely. _'I'll be very interested on his take on all of this.'_ And then he left to rendezvous with his pack and bring them back to get the scent. Though the two packs had been working together for a while now, it still took a bit of coordination. Jacob's pack took some time to get the different scents before starting back for Billy's house.

_'Stanley saw us…'_ Embry murmured almost as if he only just realized it.

_'I know man—'_ Quil was trying to comfort him.

_'Dude, he __saw__ us… and he didn't even bat an eye! Who does that!'_

_'Embry raises a damn good point.' _Leah realized. '_… exactly what type of people are Joanna's family? Even she had a reaction to us…. Albeit a weird one.'_

_'Would you lay off!'_ Embry growled.

_'Relax, Embry.'_ Jacob countered. _'Leah does have a point. Stanley didn't even seem to realize he was talking to a pack of enormous wolves. It was business as usual.'_ Jacob stopped before they reached the wood just around the house. _'It raises the question… what kind of person is he really?'_

As far as Embry was concerned… strange though Stanley may be, he was a great guy. After a day of working together, he had vouched for Embry with Joanna. That alone had allowed Embry to spend more time with her, since Joanna obviously thought a lot of Stanley's opinion. Maybe Stanley was just… really observant! He could see that the wolves weren't a threat, so he saw no reason to regard them as anything more than people in a tizzy over intruders. Just like he could see how much Embry truly cared for Joanna, and thus gave him the opportunity to prove himself.

_'That's all nice and sentimental, Embry.'_ Leah was saying. _'But it wasn't just us. It was those others. The red-eyed non-vampires who seemed to have strange abilities. All he said was 'Enough'. He didn't even raise his voice, and that guy just _stopped_. And I think we all know he was more than ready to keep going.' _Damn her for muddling this with logic!

_'Leah, you change first.'_ Jacob reminded as they all turned their heads.

_'I know!'_ she bit back before changing.

_'Look.'_ Jacob was saying to Embry, as softly and comfortingly as possible. _'I'll call Nessie, we'll get the elders, and we'll head over to Sam's place. Where we'll talk. That's all we'll do is talk. Because we don't know enough about anything yet to even make a decision.' _Jacob knew his dad well enough to know he wouldn't want to actually make a decision on events none of them understood. _'At the worst, we'll decide to observe them.'_

Embry calmed down after that. Sure, it was an invasion of privacy, but being in people's business kind of came with their vow to protect the tribe.

* * *

><p>"So…" Joanna began, trying to break through the awkwardness. "How long are you staying for?"<p>

"Just the night." Miranda responded. She and Rhonda had both changed into their night clothes. For Rhonda that meant a long pale blue night dress. For Miranda, it meant a black sleeveless shirt that looked like it probably belong to a very big man and black and rainbow stripped leggings. "Rhonda and I are heading up to Seattle in the morning. I'm… looking into moving there."

"To Seattle?" Joanna asked hopefully. She smiled when Miranda nodded.

"I …uh…Well, I don't wanna jinx it or anything, but I may be able to get into the PNB."

"The PNB?"

"Pacific Northwest Ballet school." Miranda said with a radiant smile.

"Oh my god!" Joanna cried, her hands fly to the top of her head. "That's wonderful!"

"Well, it's…nothing yet." Miranda said, trying to bottle her enthusiasm. "I mean, I have to see if I actually could apply for a scholarship, and I'm looking into a few jobs I may be able to take. I'm kind of hoping I can get a position at _Velocity_. I won't know until I get there though."

"Uncle J?" Joanna asked.

"Uncle J." Miranda confirmed with a nod. "The man has his hands in everything, it seems."

"Or he knows a lot of people in a lot of places." Rhonda corrected, a secretive smile on her face as her blue eyes twinkled at the two girls.

"That's probably it." Joanna said with a nod.

"What about you?" Miranda said quickly, in an obvious attempt to divert the subject. She hated getting her hopes up… especially when it concerned her and her dreams. "How have you been? How's living here?"

"Uh." Joanna thought about that before answering. "You know, surprisingly.. It's been a lot better than I thought it'd be." She said at last. "I mean, I know that with Stan and Cassie here, I technically still have the training wheels on, but… I've already met a few people, and uh…" she rubbed her thumb against her palm and fingers in a nervous fidget. "I'm trying." She was happy to note that Miranda didn't look judgmental or skeptical. "I still need to paint this place." She said, waving a hand at the plain walls.

"Who are these people you've met?" Rhonda asked.

"Well, they're all locals… Embry, Jacob, and Quil came and helped Stan with the fence."

"What kind of a name is Quil?" Miranda asked, momentarily distracted.

"I know, right?" Joanna shrugged. "Probably a family name or something. I mean, they're all from the local Quileute tribe."

"Native as in Native American?" Miranda asked. She smirked. "Nice." Joanna couldn't say that it was 'odd' since everyone had preferences, but Miranda had made it no secret that she had a bit of a weakness for Native American men. She imagined that if Miranda could live in this community and still dance to her hearts content, she'd be in heaven.

"Does that mean you'll come and visit me on the weekends when you can break away from your glamorous, prestigious dancing school?" Joanna asked, hope and whimsy mingling in her tone.

"Will we actually be able to mingle in the community?" Miranda asked.

"It's a small community, so…yes." Joanna said with a satisfied smile. "Embry's said that he wants to bring me a long to one of their get togethers."

"Oh… really?" Miranda said, a sly smirk playing about her lips. "And, who is this Embry?"

"Uh… One of the guys who helped Stan with the fence." Then Joanna thought better of it and hopped up. "Hold on! I sketched him just today!" she said retrieving her sketchbook. "Here he is." She said opening the book up to the sketches she'd done of Embry.

"Oh my." Miranda said, her voice deepening into a sultry tone.

"Don't be pervy." Joanna said with a blush. "It's not like that."

"Well, then it should be." Miranda said, her finger tapping the drawing. "There's a word for the look in this guy's eyes, it's 'affection'." Joanna's blush deepened. "It's not lust, and it's not creepy… it's very sweet, and you should consider his feelings carefully." Miranda's gaze became very intent. "It's not every day a girl can get a guy to look at her like that."

Joanna suddenly found the floor fascinating.

"We should be getting some sleep." Rhonda said, ever the voice of reason. "We can talk more over breakfast."

"Yeah. Sleep tight." Joanna said, closing her sketchbook and heading into her room. As she sat on her bed, staring at the closed sketchbook, she wondered how she should take Miranda's words. She opened her sketch book and stared back at the the eyes she had drawn herself. Miranda was right. There _was_ affection there. A warm fondness that wasn't laden with desire or demands. It was sincere. It didn't make her uneasy (well, okay, maybe just a little uneasy)… it just made her wonder what she had done to earn it. She and Embry hadn't really spent that much time together… what had she done to make him care about her?

* * *

><p>And that's all she wrote… literally (see what I did there :3). As always, lemme know whatcha think :) Peace out<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**I** don't know why anyone puts up with me. I've been working on this for so long :| My excuses are invalid -..- I'll just shut up and let you get to the chapter now... It should go without saying that characters that are native to the Twilight universe aren't mine. My characters are mine. And that is all :)

* * *

><p>It'd been over a week… no sign of the non-vampire. Or… whatever it was. Embry was thankful for its absence, but at the same time it made his stomach crawl. Like there was some unknown danger out there lurking, waiting for them to drop their guard or something. Oddly enough, they hadn't seen anything of Stanley or Cassandra either. Joanna's siblings seemed to have just vanished. Then again, it wasn't like they saw them so often anyway. Still, it was going to make investigating their involvement that much more tricky if they weren't around to be investigated.<p>

Jake had called Nessie the moment they'd all gotten into the house… well, after getting dressed of course. She'd driven over right away. It was still funny to see Nessie, who was about the same size as Alice, behind the wheel of a car. The little hybrid may've appeared to be 14 or 15, but in reality she was 6. Of course, her brain was probably older than all of them, considering how quickly she absorbed knowledge. Embry knew this from the bond with Jake. The girl was practically an adult. She and Jake weren't exactly intimately involved yet, but she had told Jake that they would be… when she was ready. He remembered the relief it had been on Jake when she'd been the one to bring it up and establish control of the situation. He was more than willing to do whatever she needed, after all. Now that she acknowledged that, it was up to her to state her needs.

Anyway, back to Nessie. She had been a part of their 'council', but only in so much as to tell them that she didn't know the person they'd seen or what he even was. She'd put in a call to Carlisle (sometimes, it was really great that Vampires didn't need sleep), and he'd confirmed that he had never heard of anything like it. The Cullens were currently up in Denali, a vacation that Nessie had decided to skip out on if only for Jacob's sake. Embry had never fully understood the longing for an imprint until his current situation. Carlisle promised to gather the family together for a family meeting, explaining the situation to all of them before returning home.

Lucky for Embry, he'd been able to spend time with Joanna, and not just 'creepy stalker wolf' time either. Firstly, she wanted to introduce him to her new pet… a reddish brown bunny she called Ricky. That was interesting. Embry had to lay down on his back on the floor for the rabbit to come out and be comfortable with him. Even then it would dart away under furniture from time to time. Joanna said that behavior was common in rabbits… so the two of them spent a bit of time on the floor, him laying down and her sitting against her chair, until the rabbit grew used to him. Talk about startling. Once Ricky got over his prey instincts, he hopped over and nipped at Embry's clothes. Joanna had said that they were called love nips, and that rabbits did this around people they liked.

The second reason Joanna had invited him over? To ask him if he'd help her paint her living room. What a fun day that had been. All the furniture had been gathered in the center of the room with an enormous tarp over everything, and Ricky and his litter box had been ushered into another room. Joanna had put on energetic music and danced about as she rolled paint on the walls. Perhaps 'dance' wasn't exactly the right word. She'd hop back and forth from one foot to the other, jumping while the roller was on the wall… an adorable sight if ever there was one. Embry had joined in, of course, but he wasn't as energetic a dancer as Joanna. Her living room was now a strange shade of purple (he'd asked if this was plum, but she'd assured him it was a darker variation of eggplant), but the base boards and trim were all a vivid magenta. He'd thought it was one of the strangest color combinations in the world, but oddly enough.. It fit. Her sofa and chairs remained creamy white, but she'd thrown in a few purple and pink pillows to make the colors 'tie together', her own words.

When she'd pronounced her house as 'done', he had mentioned something about not having seen all of her house. She was very happy to give him a tour. Her office was painted chartreuse green with the trim a soft buttery yellow. The curtains on the many windows around the room were pale yellow as well and sheer, allowing plenty of light in. Her bedroom was another matter altogether. It was a very dark teal, with even darker navy blue trim. Her bed was a simple frame, barely even seen, and the bedding was brighter teal waves, weaving together. The curtains on the only window she had were a strange iridescent blue, that looked almost violet in some light. He didn't see her bathroom; he didn't _ask_ to see her bathroom. The guest bathroom was a pale blue, which she admitted was taking the easy way out. The guest bedroom was painted a slate gray with black trim. The bedding was all dark burgundy though.

"Trundle bed?" He'd asked.

"Yeah. Just in case a couple of someones need to crash." She had replied with a smile. They had talked a bit about her place, though mostly how it was definitely her. And then he'd brought up the gathering at Sam's place. He'd invited her, assuring her that if she wanted, she could invite her siblings along as well. That was when she told him that she wasn't sure where Stan or Cassey were. He'd asked if she was sure she wanted to go, and though she looked slightly terrified, she had nodded firmly.

"Just come and get me." She'd said. That was three days ago.

… Tonight. Was _the_ night. Jake and Quil had taken turns commenting on the fact that he was so nervous they could use him as a jackhammer. Leah had stopped her moping to remind them that they were all idiots. Seth had been supportive. But Embry was still a bit of a wreck.

"I still think I should stay on patrol." Leah grumbled.

"No." Was Jake's response. Leah scowled.

"Leah, it's been years…" Seth reminded as comfortingly as possible. Leah still wasn't so keen on being made to visit with Sam in close proximity. She and Emily had worked out a rocky truce, but Sam was still a catalyst for her. Embry imagined that if Sam had never imprinted on Emily, Leah would have continued to love him till the day she died. It made things all the more sad.

"So, the good doctor's coming tonight?" Quil asked.

Jake nodded. "Nessie said that they won't all come… which is good." Jake's face was almost comical. Embry couldn't imagine having the entire Cullen clan in Sam's house.. Especially for one of their little parties. "Carlisle and Esme will be coming… along with Jasper and Alice."

"…But, not Edward or Bella?" Quil asked, slightly confused.

"There really isn't any point in having all the big guns there." Jake said with a shrug as he picked up another chicken wing. "Having Jasper there will help with the mood…"

Embry sat up a little straighter upon hearing that. He hadn't _voluntarily_ shared any of Joanna's social anxiety problems with the pack, but… well, pack bond was pretty absolute. He had to wonder if Jacob hadn't specifically requested Jasper come, if only to help Joanna feel more at ease at the gathering. The pups weren't coming, but there would still be plenty of people there.

"I still think Seth and I aren't necessary for this." Leah said again. Jacob glared at her, but Seth nodded.

"We could stay a little farther back.." He admitted. "Make sure that no uninvited guests try to attend."

Jacob sighed. "Fine. If you two want to lurk outside, that's just fine."

"Just don't beg for scraps." Quil joked with a smirk.

* * *

><p>Embry drove over to Joanna's house in Jake's rabbit. He wasn't early or late. He knew because he checked the clock on the dash twice before going over to knock on the door. He was pleasantly surprised when the door opened. Joanna was wearing a knee-length, teal tie-dye dress, with a pale white teeshirt underneath and navy blue leggings ad sandals. She wore earrings that looked like back feathers with a single turquoise dot in the center of them.<p>

"You look…wow." Embry said with a smile. Joanna ducked her eyes with a tiny smile.

"Thanks." She said. "You look pretty wow yourself."

"Oh, this old thing." He said motioning to the plaid blue shirt he was wearing. It did dress up the jeans a little, but.. It wasn't much. "You ready to go?"

"Um. Yeah." She murmured, reaching back fro the front door. "Ricky, mind the place while I'm out." She called softly before closing the door.

"You don't think he'll throw any wild parties do you?" Embry joked.

"I hope not." Joanna said with a chuckle. "There ain't no party like a bunny party…"

"…Because a bunny party don't…stop?" he finished, making her giggle. He opened the passenger door for her and jogged around to the driver's side once she was seated.

"Clear blue ocean." He heard her whispering to herself as he opened the driver's side door.

"You're gonna be okay, you know." He said as comfortingly as possible. "None of the guests bite." Joanna's eyes widened momentarily in shock, but then she deflated with a breathy chuckle.

"Sorry. My social skills are _so_ subpar." She offered him a timid smile. "I'll try not to be an epic buzz kill."

"You'll be fine." Embry assured. "It's not like the entire community is turning out for this. It's just Jake and his dad Billy, and Quil, you remember Quil. And, uh, Sue of course. And Sam and his wife Emily. Oh, and they invited a local doctor that's friends with the family along with his wife and a couple of his kids. Really low key."

"And you'll be there."

"And I'll be there." He said with a nod before starting the car. "I'll be right there with you… and if you find you want to leave, then I'll take you back home."

She smiled as they pulled away from the house. "When did you get saddled with being my keeper?"

"You make it sound like it's a chore." Embry countered.

"Stan didn't threaten you into looking after me, did he?"

"What? No!" Embry shook his head, laughing just a little. "No, he threatened me about treating you badly, but he never once demanded that I take care of you or anything."

Joanna's mouth screwed up sideways . "Yeah, I would apologize for that, but it's sort of his job as big brother…"

"Totally understandable." Embry said with a shrug. "Besides… I actually _like_ spending time with you." Embry looked aver at her as much as he could without taking his eyes off the road. "I like being with you, Joanna." He said it again, to really get the point across.

Joanna's expression blanked and she took a deep breath. It felt so odd… as though all the organs in her torso had malfunctioned at exactly the same time and then rebooted. "Oh." She murmured, feeling lame for such a bland response. "I… I feel somewhat at a loss now."

"You don't have to … say anything if you don't—"

"Yes, but.. I… I do enjoy spending time with you too, Embry. Really. But… I understand that."

Embry blinked, giving her a skant look out of the corner of his eye. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's easy to enjoy being with _you_. You're fun… and you're really kind… and you're so effortless. Not to mention you're terribly easy on the eyes." Joanna said with a nod. Embry laughed just slightly self conscious. "I guess I just don't understand why you feel that way about me." She said with a sigh. "I'm an obsessive compulsive shut-in that doesn't do anything unless she has a family member to hide behind."

"Hey, you're not hiding behind anyone now." He reminded.

"But you know what I mean. I'm difficult to put up with if things aren't just so, not to mention being fairly broken as far as being a person goes."

"You aren't broken."

"…Only a little." Joanna said, smiling. "And I can cover up the cracks." She continued to smile at him. "Why do you like me anyway?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Embry took a deep breath… how to explain without actually explaining too much? There was no way she was ready for the whole wolf imprint thing yet. "Do you believe in fate?" he asked, leaping on an idea. Joanna nodded decisively. No hesitation. Good. "That day on the beach, back when we first met? I saw you and you were all alone, and it really worried me. I didn't really know why at the time. But then… our eyes met and something inside just sort of clicked into place. It was something I was so unaware of that was just missing in me, that when it slide into place… it took me by surprise." He smiled. "All I know is that… at that moment all I could think was, '_I have to protect her'_. And… yeah.." He shrugged. "I guess it's sort of a lame excuse…"

"It's not lame." Joanna said firmly. "I'm an artist, after all. I understand gut feelings that are just as real as the laws of physics." Joanna seemed very adamant about defending him, yet still at a bit of a loss. "I just wish I'd felt such a solid connection on my end as well. Maybe it would've been less painless."

Embry smiled sheepishly. "If it were completely effortless, we may not appreciate it." He responded and earned a bit of a smile. "And… we're here." He murmured, slowing the car to a stop in the front yard. He watched as Joanna unwrapped a root-beer barrel candy and put it in her mouth. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're gonna be just fine." Embry assured. "I'll be right with you." She smiled at him and nodded. Embry got out and jogged over to open her car door. "Uh… did you ever get in touch with Stan or Cassie about coming?"

Joanna shook her head. "Stan and Cassie are really busy with work right now. There's this really huge case that's taking up all their attention." Her expression scrunched up slightly. "They did mention that some of my other siblings may be in the area, but I told them I didn't know if _just anyone_ could crash the party."

"Other siblings?" Embry asked, feeling a cryptic cold settle into his gut. The big guy with Stan maybe? Certainly couldn't have been those two red-eyed non-vampires…

"Yeah. He didn't specify who though… which kinda has me worried." Joanna said, rolling her eyes. "I told him I'd be fine on my own…"

"Ah."

"I doubt he believed me, but I think it's really great that I managed to say it none the less." Embry laughed as they approached the front porch together.

If Joanna noticed the fancy car that stuck out next to all their old, beat up ones, she didn't show it. Embry could smell the vampires inside before he'd even reached for the front door, but the up-side was that Joanna looked decidedly more relaxed and happy than she had mere seconds ago. Sam and Emily were there at the door inviting them in and introducing themselves to Joanna. She took it in stride, and smiled at them as if they were old friends of hers. Billy and Jake came next, Jake introducing his 'old man', and Billy inquiring more about Joanna. She seemed to talk to them effortlessly. Embry's eyes scanned the room and he found the Cullen's were at the back of it, more near the kitchen. His eyes landed on Jasper and he nodded his appreciation and received a nod in return. Once Joanna had gone through pretty much everyone of the Quilutte's, Dr. Cullen began to make his way over to introduce himself.

"Hello." Carlisle said easily. "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife Esme."

Then, something strange happened. Joanna's entire back seized up, her face turned white-wash as every freckle disappeared.

"Are you all ri—"

"Catch her." Alice said, and Embry was already behind her so it wasn't much of a feat. Joanna's eyes rolled back up into her head and she fainted. Even as dead weight, she didn't weigh very much at all. Embry levered her back in his arms, pushing her hair out of her face.

"What happened?" He asked, finding it odd that he wasn't feeling frantic. Bloody Jasper.

"Her heart rate suddenly sky rocketed and then this." Carlisle was saying as he leaned forward to carefully check her pulse. "Her heart rate is steady now… whatever it was couldn't be medical."

"She uh…" Embry felt very guilty as he continued. "She's got some… social anxiety …thing." Carlisle looked at him clinically, the way that doctors are apt to do.

"How severe?"

"… She mentioned borderline agoraphobia."

"And yet she came here?" This question came from Jasper.

"She's trying to work past it." Embry murmured, not at all happy with having to share this information. Of course, he was even less pleased with himself for putting Joanna _in_ this situation.

"Can you see her on her own, Alice?" Jake was asking.

"She should wake up in a minute." Alice said, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Maybe we shouldn't be crowding around her when she does." Esme murmured.

Embry nodded, carefully picking her up and placing her on the love seat.

* * *

><p>Joanna's trip into unconsciousness probably couldn't have been avoided in any universe. As she entered the party, she'd been wondering why in the world this was all so easy. New people, new faces, shaking hands and giving high fives (in Quil's case), and she didn't feel anxious or suffocated at all. And then… it all happened at once.<p>

Honestly, she couldn't have controlled her fight/flight response even if she'd wanted to at that point.

She came to gasping and reminding herself that in order to breath properly she had to avoid hyperventilation.

"Hey, hey, you're okay. I'm right here, Joanna." Embry's voice grounded her at least. She reached out and grasped at his shirt as means of pulling herself up. It was strange to be corralled in his arms and not feel anxious about it. And then the calm hit her. It was like hydrocodone - heavy and soothing and all encompassing and yet at the same time she was completely aware. She did the only thing she could think to do. She swallowed hard, and coughed, fanning her face.

"Candy." She croaked.

"C-… The candy?" Embry asked, and then understanding dawned on him. "You choked on the candy?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Oh, goodness." This came from one of the ladies that she'd just met — Sue? Who went into the kitchen and came back with a cup of water. "Here, dear. Sip this."

Joanna nodded and took the offered cup in both hands before slowly sipping its contents. She didn't fight the calm that continually spread through her. Mostly because she couldn't, but also because it _was _helping despite the fact that it wasn't natural.

"Guess it's lucky we have a doctor in the house." Jake joked, and Joanna dared to peek up at the man who'd tried to introduce himself just moments ago. All of them were golden eyed… and all of them were looking at her in concern.

"I'm so sorry." Joanna murmured.

"It's hardly your fault." The golden eyed woman next to the doctor said. She was so beautiful, it was almost distracting. There was a bit of silence descending as everyone watched Joanna carefully. She reached down and grasped the crystal point that hung from her neck in a nervous gesture. Now she _knew_ something was going on. With this many eyes on her, she normally would've been a wreck… and that was without the obvious elephant in the room.

"I suppose I should reintroduce myself. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife Esme, my son Jasper, and my daughter Alice."

Joanna nodded. "I didn't faint this time; we're already doing so much better." That got a chuckle from the room's occupants, though the Cullens appeared only mildly amused. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm sure. Sorry for the theatrics."

"Oh, yeah, you're _such_ a diva." Embry teased. Joanna wondered if she should ask Embry if they could leave… but that would be suspicious, wouldn't it? Maybe… if this calm held up, she could ride it out.

* * *

><p>"She didn't choke." Carlisle sub-whispered. He knew the non-wolves in the room couldn't hear it, but it had to be said. "She didn't choke, I would've heard that. Besides, we all would've noticed if she wasn't breathing."<p>

"What do you think happened then?" This question came from Jasper.

"I have no idea… maybe, she just had a bit of an episode and is trying to play it off."

"You don't think it could be white-coat syndrome do you?" Esme asked. There was that.. She didn't faint until Carlisle had introduced himself as 'Dr. Carlisle Cullen' after all.

"Don't worry about it." Jasper responded. "I'll make sure to keep her calm."

"So, Joanna, are you hungry?" Emily asked. "We've got a whole mess of hot dogs and burgers."

Joanna nodded. "I could definitely use a burger." She said. Embry rose, and Joanna rose with him. It was interesting to see how the dynamic between them had changed just slightly. Before, though they had entered together, they weren't crowding into each other's space. Now, Joanna seemed to want to cling close to him… like she was afraid to leave his side.

"Something's just not right.." Carlisle murmured softly.

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><p><strong>And<strong> that's all for this chapter :| You guys remember me saying that I was taking a creative writing class this semester and how I was looking forward to it? Yeah... it turns out, fanfiction doesn't really qualify as work you can submit for that class. So, I've been busting my tale writing other things and working on this in snippets. I suppose I don't have that excuse on my side when I have nothing to occupy my time...but I do write on a bunch of original things, so... yeah. My brains in multiple directions.


	6. Chapter 6

Ha! Weren't suspecting Chapter 6 so soon, were you? :D I kind of figured, when writing the last chapter, that I could possibly crank out two chapters if I really focused on them... so, I tried. And this is what we have. And, I'm really pleased with this chapter... even though it did make me cry :| Nevermind.

So, yeah. My characters are mine. Everything else belongs to someone smarter than me.

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><p>"She fainted… I can't believe she fainted." Leah said shaking her head. It'd been about half an hour since the happy couple had arrived, and Jake had come outside to give them some of the food. This came with an explanation for all the commotion that had occurred.<p>

"Poor Joanna." Seth sputtered around the hot dog in his mouth. Leah couldn't help but glare at him a little. Honestly, couldn't he chew his food first?

"Problem is, we don't know why she fainted." Jake said. "She tried to cover it, saying she choked on a candy."

"… And she didn't?" Leah asked.

"Carlisle says no."

"He would know I guess."

"What other reason could there be?"

"And why'd she feel the need to cover it up?" Seth asked. Jake's eyes narrowed.

"Now that you mention it, that's a good question." A decidedly out of place giggle broke their conversation. The three whirled around to find the little red-eyed girl in the back Sam's truck. This time she was wearing a dark purple dress, though it was still pared with black. She smiled at them, and then began to sing as she skipped along the frame of the truck. She seemed to effortlessly twirl on her tip toes…

"A human face

Eyes of red or black."

She jumped out of the truck, landing lightly on the ground as she continued singing.

"Danger! Beware!

Run! Don't look back!"

She leapt about still balancing on her toes, spinning in a delicate arc before singing again.

"Gold is the rarest of hues.

Don't test them though.

They may still eat you."

She finished pointing at the three of them before curtsying.

"Okay, that wasn't creepy." Leah said sarcastically. "You realize that _you_ have red eyes, right?"

The girl blinked smiling almost indulgently. "But I don't have a human face." She replied.

"Looks pretty human to me." Seth replied, gaining a scowl from the girl.

"Go back to the house." The girl said.

"What?" Leah asked.

"I want you to go back to the house." She clarified.

"Why?" Leah asked, almost indignantly.

"Because it will be safer there." She announced, her eyes beginning to glow unnaturally again.

"Okay." Jake said, holding his hands up. "Let's… go back to the house, guys." Jake said. Leah didn't like it, but she wasn't going to question him right now. Jake moved so that he was always between the girl and them, which also annoyed her. It wasn't as if the pipsqueak was doing them much harm.

"Great. Now we're back at the house." Leah muttered. "I feel so much safer."

"We're having a bit of a relapse out here." Jake said, making sure his tone was loud enough for only a select few members of the party to inside to hear. Alice and Jasper casually strolled out of the party and onto the front porch steps. The girl looked at them measuringly.

"How good are you with blood?" She asked.

Jasper's face hardened, but Alice smiled. "We manage."

"Good." The girl said, reaching for an ornament around her neck. "Hold your breath and make a wish." The necklace she wore looked like a tiger laying down. She grasped the head of the tiger, and it disconnected from the body, exposing a small pike-like blade. Before anyone could react, the girl drew the edge of that blade down the outside of her bare forearm. She shifted her weight, her feet slowly sliding apart as she carefully rested against the ground in a split. The blade, now soaked in bright red blood was then thrust into the ground. "Blood Barrier." She whispered softly before rising. As she drew the blade out of the ground, the blood on it was gone… as though to make a liar of the long gash against her arm.

"What did you just—" Alice began.

"I put a barrier around the house so that enemies can't intrude." The girl said simply as though she were talking about picking up butter from the grocery store. She looked back at them. "The house is safe now."

Suddenly, she wasn't alone. Though it was impossible to tell where exactly he came from, the man that had been in the woods with this girl — the other red-eyed non-vampire — walked up beside her. Still, he had long black hair, and he still wore all black clothing. This time, just black jeans and a black wife-beater. It showed more of his tanned skin, which was almost as dark as the Quileutes. He knelt down and took her injured arm in his hands.

"We have a serious sense of deja vu going on out here." Jake said, and this time Carlisle, Esme, and Sam all came outside. Esme put a hand over her mouth in shock and Sam and Carlisle just stared aghast.

"This wasn't the best idea." The red-eyed man growled at his younger companion.

"It's the only one I know." She responded, slightly crestfallen.

He sighed, his expression blanking as though he were reminding himself not to be angry. "We'll change that tomorrow."

"You mean, if we live through tonight?" she asked softly.

"We'll change that tomorrow." He said more firmly. Then, much to the disgust of everyone who was now out on the front porch, he leaned forward and licked her arm.

"What are you doi—"

The man turned and growled, literally growled, bearing his teeth, at Jasper who had tried to speak. The sound was too much like a pole cat from hell, and actually made the wolves present shrink away. The fact that the man's teeth were different, elongated and saturated in blood, was not helping either. After another seething hiss, he leaned down and licked the length of her forearm again. This time, the blood was gone. In fact, the girl held out her arm and the wound was gone entirely. Nothing remained to suggest that she'd ever harmed herself, save for a light pink scar.

"Thank you, big brother." The girl said with a bright smile.

"How.. did you?" Carlisle began, his face a mask of shock as he slowly took a step forward.

"Our saliva has healing properties." The man said as he rose. His head turned away from them, and the big guy ( the one that they'd seen with Stan when they'd had the pleasure of meeting these two) walked around the other side of the house. "All set?" Bruiser only nodded. Red eye turned and smiled at the people on the porch. There was no evidence of blood on his teeth now…in fact, they looked almost too white. "You folks notice that something isn't quite right tonight?"

"You mean besides _you_?" Leah asked.

"Why _are_ you still single?" Red eye shot back at her casually. Then he continued as though she hadn't spoken. "I'd just like to remind you all that there is, in fact, a full moon out tonight."

"Are you afraid we'll turn into wolf men?" Leah groused.

Bruiser looked back at her in confusion then at Red Eye. "They really are _not_ observant at all." Red eye said to Bruiser. Bruiser only nodded, turning back away from the house.

"So, none of you notice anything strange about the woods?" The girl asked, seeming almost hopeful.

"What should we be noticing?" Alice asked.

"It's a _full_ _moon_ out." The girl said, stressing that again. "Look at the woods. Don't you see it?" she said, looking out at the woods.

"It's dark." Seth said.

"Exactly!" the girl said.

"I've never seen the woods so dark." Seth continued.

"So… you're saying we should have noticed the dark?" Jake asked.

"It's a _full_ moon…." The girl said again as if they were missing that fact. "You should be able to see for miles!"

"She's right." Seth murmured, still looking over the woods. The woods were black with thick heavy shadow. They couldn't see beyond the tree line. Hell, they couldn't even make out the tree trunks.

"I'll admit it's odd, but I don't understand the significance." Jasper said, finally trusting himself to talk now that there was no scent of blood in the air.

"It isn't 'odd', it's dangerous." Red eye said cryptically. "It shouldn't last much longer though…" He smiled. "If we could have your cooperation in staying near the house… well, that'd make everyone's evening much nicer."

"What's the big deal?" Jake asked. "So it's darker than usual out…"

"Ask yourself a fundamental question." Red Eye asserted. "Is darkness simply the absence of light?"

"It is." Carlisle answered, and Red Eye raised a questioning eyebrow. "It is." Carlisle said more firmly.

"Not always." The little girl said, absently staring at the darkened tree line. "And in this case it's definitely not that simple." When she turned around and saw that they were all staring at her she crowded closer to Red Eye, taking one of his hands in both of her arms and cuddling his arm close. He smiled down at her.

"Fine, then. If darkness isn't the absence of light in this case, then what is it?" Leah asked.

"Void." Bruiser said, his voice so deep it was shocking in the stillness.

"…He speaks." Leah observed, making him look at her.

"Void?" Esme asked, trying to keep the subject in focus.

"It's difficult to explain…" Red Eye said, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. "Void doesn't enter the world on its own - it can't. But when it's invited or otherwise takes residence here, it tends to move on its own and further its 'agenda' in spite of its host."

"Whoa… ok… wait." Seth said shaking his head. "We're talking about..about like, void? Like nothingness or nihility or…"

Red eye looked at him penetratingly. "You can't possibly be under the assumption that you're the only type of monsters in the world." He said.

"What kind are you?" Leah asked scathingly. A deep growl resonated through Bruiser as he glared at her balefully.

"That's funny." Red Eye said with a grin. "I mean, honestly, I was unaware that I was in the running as a monster. As far as I know, I'm a completely normal specimen of my breed." He eyed Leah almost clinically. "You, on the other hand… well, you used to be human." His eyes darted to the Cullens. "You were too, at one time." Jake had stepped forward, blocking Leah and Seth from Red Eye's view, but Red Eye seemed more than content to stare him down as well. "If a monster is an abnormality or mutation, then you're it." He said simply. He smiled down at his sister before looking back to them. "Just because our species isn't human, that doesn't make us monsters."

"That's for damn sure." Bruiser grumbled, his gaze returning to the tree line.

"I suppose we could always get into a discussion about the connotations of the term 'monster' though…" Red Eye murmured speculatively, but quickly shook his head in dismissal. "But this is not Disney's _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_."

"Thank God." The little girl spat.

"Right?" Red Eye sympathized.

"So, what? You're just here to fight the void and lecture us on being monsters?" Leah asked.

"It's so funny how you think you know things." Red Eye said with a smile.

"I'm beginning to dislike your tone." Jasper murmured evenly.

"That's too bad." Red Eye said with a shrug. "We could try not speaking to each other, but then neither one of us would learn much. And I do enjoy a good dialog."

Before anything more could be said, the screen door opened noisily as Joanna passed through the front door. "No, I just think I need some air—." She froze as she came to stand right beside Esme. She didn't even seem to notice Embry behind her.

A loud snap sounded as Red Eye snapped his fingers and pointed at Joanna. "You remind me of the Babe." He said.

Joanna's gaze turned to him and she blinked rapidly. "What babe?" She asked, bewildered.

"The babe with the power." Red Eye said wagging his fingers as though he were casting a spell.

Joanna walked down the front steps towards him. "What power?"

"The power of voodoo."

"Who do?" Joanna asked, getting closer to him.

"You do!"

"Do what?"

"Remind me of the babe." Red Eye said with a satisfied smile when Joanna walked right up to him and hugged him. "We just had a Labyrinth moment." He murmured into her hair. "God you smell good! Like a cheeseburger."

"They have them inside." Joanna said drawing back with a big grin. Red Eye actually looked mournful at the idea of missing a good cheeseburger.

"Well, I suppose if anyone could use one.." He said looking down at her waist pointedly. Bruiser turned around and cuffed him hard on the back of the head. "Jeezy Creezy!" Red Eye muttered with a wince, practically bent in half as he cradled his head in his hands.

"Ben!" Joanna cried in excitement, jumping up and wrapping her arms around Ben's neck. She seemed more than content to hang against him, and since he was so tall that's exactly what she had to do. He hugged her to him, and sighed as if he'd just come home. It almost felt a little intrusive to watch…Anywhere else, this scene might have been heart warming…but here, it was almost unsettling.

"You know them?" Jake asked dumbly. It would be odd if Joanna were being so familiar with people she _didn't_ know. When 'Ben' released her back onto the ground she turned around and smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, they're my brothers." She said simply. Then her eyes landed on the little girl that was half hiding behind Red Eye. "And sister! Sweet Stars, Dinah, you are getting so pretty! I can't even!" Dinah smiled and skipped around to tackle Joanna's waist.

"Your siblings…" Embry said slowly. "I guess.. These are the ones that Stan told you were… around."

Joanna actually looked a bit contrite. "Yeah. Sorry, um… let's see. This is Benjamin." She said, motioning to Bruiser. "And this is Ruben." She said waving a hand towards Red Eye. "And this is Dinah." She finished, patting the little girl's head. "Guys, this is Embry.."

"Your puppy dog." Ruben said with a smirk. Embry tensed at that, but Joanna glared at Ruben for a moment before shaking her head.

"Dinah, how do you manage to put up with him?" She asked.

"We all have our crosses to bear." Dinah said with a shrug. Joanna laughed at that.

"You're looking good, Ben." Joanna said, her attention now on her bigger brother. Ben smiled down at her as means of reply.

Though Joanna hadn't noticed Embry's start at being called her puppy dog, Ruben had. He looked at Joanna and then back to Embry and slowly mouthed 'You haven't told her' before gaping at him. Embry glared at the man in contempt, and Ruben looked as though he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. Ruben shook his head, seeming to shake it off, though Embry would've liked it if he'd loose the smug smirk.

"What are you guys doing out and about anyway?" Joanna asked.

"Helping Stan and Cassie." Ben said simply.

"Oooh.." Joanna nodded, a look of comprehension dawning on her face. "…would it make things easier if I went back inside?" she asked. Ben looked to Ruben, but Ruben was staring at Joanna's torso… namely her upper chest, and though he knew he couldn't say anything, Embry really wanted to smack him.

"Yes." Ruben said at last, his eyes darting up to her face. "You should stay inside… If Cassie needs you, we'll let you know." He finished with a nod before looking back out towards the darkness. Joanna looked too and shuddered, chafing her arms.

"It's gotten thick." She observed.

"You've no idea." Ruben murmured softly. When he looked back to Joanna, he seemed to collect himself. He smiled and nodded back towards the house. Joanna nodded and turned back around.

"See? Just needed a breath of fresh air." She said to Embry before jogging back up the front steps. Embry looked back at her and then back to her siblings and shook his head in confusion before following Joanna.

"What is going on?" Leah asked.

"Joanna knows." Dinah said, slowly turning her back on the house. "Just because you don't know that she knows doesn't mean she doesn't know."

"…still… so… confused." Leah grumbled.

"Joanna understands our purpose here." Ben said simply. "So she understands that if we say she should go back in the house, then she should go back in the house."

Leah stared at him. "Wow. Two complete sentences."

"Pretty sure that second one was a compound sentence actually." Ruben said absently, still staring at the darkness.

"Is there a reason you don't talk?" Leah asked Ben. There was a moment of silence as he stared at her, considering whether or not to respond.

"I have a problem with my temper." He replied before looking back at the darkened tree line.

"…and that's why you don't talk?" Leah asked bewildered.

"Of all the muscles in the body, the tongue is the hardest to master." Ben said without looking back at her. "If I can keep control of it, there's a chance I'll be better at mastering myself." He finished with a shrug. Leah was about to say something in response, but Jake muttered, 'Holy hell' and it drew her attention.

Suddenly, there was a perceivable shift in the darkness around the tree line. It became denser, even harder to see through before moving forward. It surrounded them, making the barrier the girl had mentioned earlier that much more obvious. It covered everything, making all things disappear in the darkness including the yard and cars that were parked beyond the barrier. It coiled within itself just in front of the barrier, about a foot from Ben and Ruben's feet.

"Trust me," Ruben began, shifting so that he was solidly between Dinah and the barrier. "There's nothing holy about it." He finished grimly.

"I could do another walk—" Ben began.

"No." Ruben said firmly, still staring into the dark.

"If you honestly think something could harm me on the night of the full moon—"

"There is a pregnant woman inside." Ruben hissed, finally looking at his brother. "Not to mention our sisters are here. So forget what you could or couldn't do, because we're playing this _safe_ tonight." Ben let out a loud sigh, obviously not happy with the situation but not willing to argue.

"It's doing something." Dinah said. She was still behind Reuben, crowded tightly against the back of his legs, staring down at the grown. Her eyes darted back and forth. "What is it _doing_?" The darkness in front of the barrier was swirling like a black cloud rising from angry fire that had no place to go for ventilation.

"I feel it too." Ruben murmured. He shook his head. "I don't know yet what it's trying to —" his words halted and he swallowed hard. "Close your eyes, Dinah." She did so, immediately closing her eyes. Jasper staggered slightly before catching himself. Ben looked back at the commotion on the porch, as everyone was now looking at Jasper. The cloud in front of Ruben seemed to pulse before it retreated slightly… Where it had been there stood a man who looked exactly like Ruben, only his hair was trimmed short. They were even wearing the same clothes… though, this guy looked a little dead behind the eyes.

"Jasper? What's wrong?" Alice asked as she took his arm.

"It's so heavy." He said through his labored breathing. He looked up at Ruben's back, somewhat mystified. "This sorrow. Why is it so.." Ben's head swiveled back to Ruben.

"Reksa!" Ben muttered as though it were a curse. He surged forward, insinuating himself in front of Ruben. His skin suddenly began to get whiter… and brighter. And then, he was glowing. The dark cloud slunk forward, enveloping the man who could've been Ruben's twin.

"Hey, wait… what just happened to that guy?" Seth asked.

"It wasn't a _guy_." Ruben said, his voice strained and gravely. "It was just a trick." Ben's skin stopped glowing, returning to it's normal shade. He turned around and his expression changed when he saw Ruben. The wolves and Cullens couldn't see Ruben's face… Leah, who was the closest to the two, took a step forward so that she could see better. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in Ruben's crumbled expression saturated in tears. His red eyes were glowing brightly, which made the shining tears that leaked onto his face seem that much more out of place. Ben reached in his pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief, of all things. Ruben took it in one hand, and covered his entire face with the handkerchief. His other hand reached back, resting on top of Dinah's head. The girl slowly slumped to the ground, falling fast asleep. Acceptance and frustration were waring on Ben's face.

"That wasn't Russel." Ben said, his voice rough from some emotion. Ruben nodded, his face still burred in the handkerchief. Ruben dragged the handkerchief down his face and school his expression with some difficulty.

"I know." He said, his voice still rough. Ben nodded, snatching the handkerchief back before walking standing by Ruben's side.

"I don't understand." Jasper said, still somewhat breathless. "Who's Russel." There was a long beat of silence as everyone waited to see if the question would be answered.

"My twin brother." Ruben said, swallowing hard. He steadied himself before turning and bending down to gathering Dinah's sleeping form up in his arms. He cradled her to his chest carefully, almost clinging to her.

"Was that a good idea?" Ben asked, eying Dinah.

"She didn't need to see or hear that." Ruben said firmly. "And she'll wake up feeling rested, and I can tell her whether or not she has a new big sister." There was yet another heavy silence before Leah couldn't stand it any more.

"Okay." She said, with a somewhat more mellowed attitude. For whatever reason, seeing Ruben suffering so visibly had softened her. "Would someone please explain what just happened?" she requested.

Ben sighed, but turned around to face her and the rest of them. "Void does things, it moves a certain way, and it has a certain effect on matter that's exposed to it for a continued amount of time. Its usual effect on matter is to consume it, but under certain circumstances it uses matter. Only when it has to, of course." He shook his head. "That thing was just a suit. It wasn't a person or even a thing. It was just a scrapping together of matter, made to resemble a person. We call them Shiivo… I guess you could say.." He tried to search for a word. "Dolls." He said with a shrug. "Its only purpose is to distract or lure…or provoke." he swallowed harshly before taking a deep breath. "You can tell the difference because it can't maintain itself for too long, and it has none of the normal orifices. It's mouth, ears and nose are sealed shut, and its eyes are fake and don't move, and it doesn't breathe."

"… why would the image of Russel provoke Ruben?" Seth asked.

"Because he's dead." Ruben countered, his tone flat. Leah looked down, not wanting to offer pity to the man, but Seth looked hurt as though the loss had actually touched him. "Stupid trick." Ruben muttered. "It can't last much longer." He said as an aside to Ben. Ben was staring at him in an evaluating manner. "Is it any better for you?" Ruben asked suddenly.

"Is what?"

"It's been… what? Over a year?"

Ben turned back to face the barrier, swallowing harshly. "I guess."

"It doesn't feel any less raw than it did on that day." Ruben observed.

Ben huffed on a sigh. "Only when I'm thinking about it."

Ruben nodded. "That's probably the problem." He said, his eyes wondering down to Dinah's sleeping face. "Need to shift focus."

"Good plan." Ruben stayed like that for a moment, but then his head swiveled to one side and then the other, as though he were listening for something. "What is it?" Ben asked.

"It's over." He said. Before the two words had even left his mouth, the darkness recoiled and then faded entirely. The woods were beautifully lit in bright silver moonlight. Ruben glanced over at Leah and Seth who were the closest to him still. "Do whatever you want now." He said blandly.

"What about that barrier?" Jake asked.

"It'll last until the next heavy rain." Ruben said.

"Well, yeah but.. I mean.."

"All it does is keep enemies out." Ben affirmed. "As long as you don't try dragging someone who has purely evil intentions towards you across it, you shouldn't have any problems."

"Wait…how does that work _exactly_, and who does it work _for_?" Seth asked, his face scrunched up in confusion. Ben blinked at him.

"It protects anyone who is already within the barrier, but more specifically the people who live here." He said.

"Someone get Joanna." Ruben ordered.

"What? Why?" Leah asked.

Ruben continued to stare out into the woods. "Because Cassie is going to need her help very soon."

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><p>Yeah... I hope that wasn't too much of my brain functioning in the Twilight zone... That's just the way this cookie crumbles.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

I…don't really have anything new or interesting to say :| Twilight isn't mine, but my characters and concepts are :) Please do enjoy.

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><p>Joanna hit the screen door at a jog. When she didn't see her brothers where she'd seen them last, she looked across the porch. She froze in shock when she saw Esme holding a sleeping Dinah.<p>

"Your brothers are around the side." Esme informed, pointing towards the corner of the house she was nearest. "There's a small fire pit where the last bonfire was held… they seemed very interested in it." She noticed that Joanna was looking from her face to Dinah. "Oh, Ruben asked me to hold her for him… she's been sleeping for a while now." Esme smiled, patting Dinah's back. "I suppose it is getting rather late out."

"…right." Joanna murmured, still stunned.

"Joanna." Ruben called, walking up from the side of the house. He nodded back the way he'd come, indicating that she follow.

"What are you guys doing?" Joanna asked, tearing her eyes away from Esme and following at Ruben's side.

"We need a fire. Cassie will need your help, I think."

"Why? What happened? Did anyone get hurt?"

"Not Cassie or Stan."

"Which case were they working on?" Joanna asked, coming to a stop just off the back yard. There was a pit dug into the ground filled with old soot and charred limbs, but Ruben and Ben had puled up a bunch of thick limbs and some smaller debris on top.

"I think it's ready." Ben said to Ruben as he walked away from the pit. Joanna didn't notice that everyone who had been outside before was still outside, they'd just relocated to the back porch so that they could better watch what Ruben and Ben were doing. Esme, having directed Joanna, went back to her husband's side.

"Seth, go and get Embry and Quil." Jacob said quietly to Seth. Seth nodded and darted through the back door.

"Ruben, which case?" Joanna repeated insistently.

"A young girl." Ruben said with a sigh. "She's lost a lot." Ruben looked at Joanna. "It wasn't her fault…"

"Another victim?" Joanna asked.

Ruben only nodded. He crouched down and reached into the twining bramble they'd heaped into the fire pit. "Catch." He murmured. Flames erupted from his fist and began to lick their way into the other branches and limbs. The people on the porch recoiled slightly as the flames got larger and larger. Within seconds an enormous bonfire was crackling in the pit. Ruben nodded in a satisfied manner before finally drawing his arm out of the fire.

"Dude!" Quil cried from the back porch. He and Embry had just come out of the house, and he was staring in shock. "You can make fire?" he asked bewildered.

Ruben stared back at him and nodded. "Yeah. Fire's fairly easy actually." He murmured. "Water… water is so freakin' difficult."

"I thought you said earth was easy." Joanna said.

"Oh, Earth's hella easy."

"Earth's only easy for _you_." Ben grumbled.

"Well…if it makes you feel any better, you're much better at Water than I am." Ruben reminded, sounding sheepish.

"Of course water's easy for _me_." Ben said. "I was born with that. Same as you with earth."

"I'd love it if I could fully understand all of these concepts." Joanna murmured absently, her eyes drifting to the fire.

"I don't know what's going on, but it sounds like a bunch of Avatar stuff." Quil said.

Ruben chuckled. "I love that show." He murmured. His expression sobered drastically, and he stood. "Cassie." He noted. Cassie came bounding out of the woods. She was cradling a lump of someone tightly to her torso, taking long leaps from one foot to foot. It almost looked like a ballet dancer leaping from one foot to the next, only she seemed to be at a steady run. She came to an easy halt between the house and the fire, laying the girl in her arms down near the fire.

"Good work getting the fire started already." Cassie murmured. She took great pains to keep herself between the girl and the onlookers. The girl was ghostly pale and completely naked.

"What do you need me to do?" Joanna asked kneeling down near Cassie by the girl's head. Ruben and Ben didn't bother asking any questions, they simply stood on the other side of Cassie, blocking both women from view.

"Have some consideration for female modesty." Ben growled, making most of the men on the porch look away guiltily.

"Hey, man, we didn't—" Quil began.

"Don't. Talk." Ben said sternly. Quil took a breath and just nodded.

"Thank you." Leah said with a smirk, which made Quil scowl at her.

"Help me with this." Cassie said to Joanna, reaching for the buttons at the neck of her blue dress. It was a simple dress, buttoned up the very middle.

"Oh. Okay." Joanna said.

"So, maybe while they're…doing whatever they're doing…" Jacob began. "We could talk about who that girl is."

"She was a host for the void." Ruben said. "The reason why it was here."

"She brought it here?" Carlisle asked.

"No… well, yes… Not directly, I mean it's not like it was her fault." Ruben realized he was stuttering over himself.

"Ruben." Ben interrupted. "Start at the beginning. It's the easiest way."

"…right." Ruben cleared his throat. "So… there's this group of people that think they can actually _use_ void… like, twist it and use it to suit their purposes." He began. "Those people killed this girl's family, and used her as a host vessel." Esme made a chocking sound and seemed to clutch Dinah a little tighter. "Yeah… Of course, it's difficult to control void to an exact point… she traveled, wound up here, and that's what Cassie and Stan were doing."

"… will she be alright now? I mean… your family's going to adopt her, right?" Embry asked.

"Not exactly." Cassie said, though they couldn't see her.

"Not exac—what?" Ruben asked, turning his head back but looking upward instead of down at the women. It didn't seem like he or Ben were having much of an issue with looking back at the girls.

"Um, Cassie, you're.." Joanna began, but stopped when it was obvious her input wasn't going to help much. Cassie stood and came to Ruben's side. She was wearing only her underware though, a soft cerulean blue bra and panties. If she was self-conscious or embarrassed, she certainly wasn't showing it. It seemed that Joanna was self-conscious enough for both of them. "Alright then." She said softly. Ben drew back and looked down at the sleeping girl by the fire. She was now waring Cassie's dress.

"Why aren't we taking her back to Mother?" Ruben asked, not seeming to care about the girl. He was also looking Cassie straight in the eyes, which would've been difficult for anyone else. Most of the men on the porch were pointedly looking away from Cassie's general direction.

"That's where Stan is right now. We came upon the wolves in the woods." Cassie said. That last statement got everyone's attention. Jacob looked back from person to person, almost as if he were counting the members of his pack to assure that they were there.

"Wait, what?" Joanna asked.

Cassie looked down at her. "No, not _those_ wolves." She jutted her chin out towards the sleeping girl. "Her wolves."

"She…has wolves?" Jasper asked.

Cassie looked up at him. "Look at the fire." She said. He blinked, but he and the others on the porch did look on the fire. "These types of wolves." Cassie said, and the fire grew slightly then receded, forming a distinct shape. It had little definition at first but then it began to take better shape. At first it looked like a bipedal creature, but then the wolf's muzzle began to take better shape.

"Werewolves." Carlisle said.

"They prefer the term Feral, but yes, essentially." Cassie said waving a hand towards the flames, and it returned to it's natural shape. "Her father was a Feral of the Wolf tribe, thus the wolves have claimed her as kin." She said to Ruben.

"But… but we have the best means for returning her to a healthy condition." Ruben reminded.

"Yes, and Shayla knows this. That's the only reason I was allowed to carry her here." Cassie said. She looked to the porch. "They are very twitchy, what with being out of their territory." She sighed heavily. "They're looking to us to advocate for them."

"Wait, you advocate for werewolves." Alice asked.

Cassie looked at her and smirked. "I'm under the impression you've been known to do the very same from time to time."

"Yes… well.." She looked at some of the present company on the porch. "That's different."

"Is it?" Cassie asked still smiling. "I wonder what your basis for comparison is."

"Um, hey, Cassie?" Seth began, with a hand over his eyes. He'd given up trying not to look at her a few minutes ago. "You're kind of, really naked, could you maybe do something abut that?"

"I'm hardly naked." Cassie said.

"Actually, I believe you're hardly dressed, dear." Esme said with a polite smile.

"Not that anyone but Seth and Leah would notice it." Cassie said. Her head turned sharply, her eyes gazing through the woods. "Did you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Joanna asked. Cassie held up a hand, requesting silence. A few beats of silence prevailed before distant thunder rolled softly around them.

"Good ears." Carlisle said.

"No, not that." Cassie said. "The storm's a ways out still." Her anxiousness faded, a relaxing sigh sifting out of her. "Stan." When she turned, her other side was more visible to the people on the porch. There was an ugly, jagged scar from the edge of her ribcage, down her side with a very large carved out pock just above her hip… as though someone had scraped a blade along her side before finding a place to stab. Stan emerged from the wood's edge, his long stride swifting bringing him to his sister's side. He began unbuttoning his shirt before taking it off and setting it over Cassie.

"How is she?" he asked as Cassie put her arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

"Gaining heat." Cassie said as she began buttoning up the shirt. "She'll be much improved by morning.

"Awake?"

Cassie shook her head. "That won't happen for a few more days." She said with a sigh. "She needs proper re-hydration and a boost to her immune system. She's very _very_ weak right now."

Stans jaw clenched. "Shayla is close. Her pack is eager to move, but she wont let them." His eyes drifted between Jacob and Sam. "She knows this territory is not her's, and she's eager to avoid making unnecessary enemies." He looked to Ruben. "You could take a cue from her." He said.

"What?" Ruben cried. "Everything turned out alright."

"Indeed." Stan grumbled. He seemed to take inventory of Ruben. "Where's your sister?" He asked.

"With mother." Ruben said, motioning towards Esme. Stan's attention snapped to Esme, who waved at him.

"She's still sleeping quite soundly." Esme murmured.

Stan stared for a moment before nodding. He gave Ruben an appraising look, as though the man(if Ruben was a man) had impressed him somehow. His head cocked to the side, his gaze mostly downward though he appeared to be bending towards Cassie. "How long will you need here?"

"Half an hour. Maybe less." She said, drawing her hair out of the back of the shirt. He nodded, still not having looked at her. "How's the dress look?" She asked. It was almost amusing how Stan's shirt fit her almost as though it were a knee-length dress.

"Fantastic." He said.

She swatted him on the shoulder lightly, making him look her in the eyes. "You haven't even looked at it." She said with a hint of indignation.

"_You're_ wearing it." He reminded. "Of course it looks fantastic." He said as if the equivalent of her wearing anything were that it would look fantastic. Cassie smiled at him smugly before walking to the girl's side and skimming her fingers across her face.

"Wow." Ruben said making an impressed face. "Can I use that? I think I should be taking notes or something."

"Do not make me smack you." Stan warned, not bothering to look at his brother.

"Yes, Sir." Ruben said.

"Jacob?" Stan began.

"Yes?"

"Would you please allow Embry to take Joanna home?" Stand asked. Jacob looked a little stunned at the question. Joanna, who was standing by Ben, looked confusedly between Stan, Jacob and Emrby.

"Um.. I'm kind of okay here, Stan." She said timidly. "I mean… they have cheese burgers." She said with a tiny smile.

"There's a lot that needs to be discussed here, Joanna." Stan said. "And you and Rebakka do not get on well if I remember correctly."

"Rebakka's here too?" Joanna whined.

"She's training under Shayla, so yes." Stand said. "Besides, I imagine that you'll have much to talk about with Embry as well." Joanna nodded thoughtfully. Jacob nodded as well, and Embry went to Joanna's side. He had a feeling this short card ride would feel very long.

"Will Shayla…be coming here?" Ben asked, looking somewhat concerned.

"It's a possibility." Stan said.

"Who is this Shayla?" Jacob asked.

"The shaman of the largest Feral Wolf tribe in North America." Stan replied watching as Embry opened the car door for Joanna and then got into the driver's seat. He waited until he saw the car rolling onto the road away from the house. His eyes shifted back to Jacob. "Shall we acknowledge the wolf in the room?" He asked. Jacob's expression was slightly shocked. "As I've said, Shayla doesn't want to offend the wolves of the Quileutes tribe." He turned his gaze on Carlisle. "She also wants to make sure her people are exposed to as few vampires as possible, I think the reasons behind that are quite obvious." Carlisle nodded his understanding. "What I need to know, is if she and her people can remain here for any length of time without violent repercussions."

Jacob took a moment to process Stan's words. "Are _they_ violent?" He asked.

"No." Stan replied.

"Then… I don't see why they couldn't stay… as long as they understand we protect our land from threats."

"Right. Don't become a threat." Stan murmured with a nod. "Got it." He looked down at a crystal in his hand. It lit up for a moment and then went dark again. He put it into his pocket and looked around. He turned, stepping away and looking back at where Cassie was seated. Cassie had arranged herself so that the girl was laying back against Cassie's chest. Cassie was between the girl and the fire now. The girl didn't look as deathly pale as she had when Cassie had first brought her in. "Well?"

"I'm having a bit of trouble with her feet." Cassie murmured. "But otherwise, she's coming along quite nicely." Ruben moved, kneeling down to take the girl's feet. He took one foot in his hands and messaged the sole of her foot slowly. Cassie nodded at him. "Thanks." She murmured. He nodded and repeated the process with the opposite foot.

"Is it safe for her to be so close to the fire?" Jasper asked, noting how very close the flames were coming to Cassie's back.

"Fire wouldn't harm Cassie." Stan said simply, dismissing the concept with a shake of his head.

"Perhaps I can help." Carlisle offered. "I am a doctor." Stan began shaking his head, but Cassie chuckled softly.

"Physician, heal thyself." She said with a smirk.

"This goes beyond human treatment." Stan assured. "What she needs is a miracle… and that's what Cassie is giving her."

"Can we go back to discussing these werewolves that are in our woods?" Sam asked. "I want to know more about these Ferals."

"What would you like to know?" Stan asked.

"Anything that we can." Jacob said simply. Stan nodded, his expression opening into thoughtfulness before he began speaking.

"Ferals come in 3 varieties: Canine, Feline, and Ursine. They prefer to live in and around wilder areas for obvious reasons. There are quite a few tribes that maintain State parks and Protected Areas. The central Rockies are where many are now, but they span all over the world."

"Do they turn feral during the full moon and kill like beasts?" Jasper asked.

"…No." Stan said as if the concept were absurd. "That's perhaps the greatest difference between Werewolves and Ferals. Ferals are born as they are… it's why they live in communities. If it were something like the curse of the werewolf as we know it, they would be tortured loners. No, Ferals are very much like the Quileute Wolves, only bipedal."

"What do you mean, they're like us?" Leah asked.

"The ability to become Feral… It carries down through blood lines… it's passed from fathers and mothers to their children." Stan clarified. "It's nothing like the curse of werewolfism, which is transmitted via bite. Their ability to shift comes in their teens; it usually comes very early for females and fairly late for males, depending on living conditions. It's difficult for them to control the shift at first. In fact it's very painful."

"So the pain gets better with time?" Esme asked.

"No." Came a feminine voice from the woods. A woman was standing at the edge of the wood with a long staff atop her shoulders, her hands hanging on each end of the staff. Her golden brown hair was woven into tight, intricate braids that laced along the side of her head, and her dark tanned skin that had seen much exposure to the sun. She had a lovely face. Her dark almond eyes seemed to bear the brunt of her pain, but they also seemed to smile back at you… hinting at knowledge beyond her own limited experience. She wore what could only be described as deer-skinned breeches that were latched up to a belt about her waste, with a loin cloth that was looped through the same belt, and over her chest and belly hung a long, wide buckskin poncho covered in paint and beading. "But after repeated exposure to the same pain.. One's tolerance to that pain increases. It becomes less noticeable."

"Shayla." Stan murmured, turning to face her. He walked to the other side of the fire, standing between the fire and the wood. This made the fire light expose his ruined back. It was covered with long grooves, not just simple lacerations from a blade… No, something had carved away his flesh in long rivets from the tops of his shoulder blades down to the small of his back. It made many of them wince and stare.

Shayla crouched, bending first into a curtsy before leaning forward into a bow. She took her sturdy looking staff in her hand, but she drew it up into both hands, as if displaying it or offering it to Stanley.

"Blessed be the house of Iron and Crystal, as always." She said reverently.

Stan gave her a nod. "Where is your pack?" he asked.

Shayla drew herself to full height again, her staff settling in her right hand. "I've asked them to remain back in the forest. Only _I_ need to confer with you." She smiled absently. "It's good practice for Rebakka.. She needs to learn to keep still when I say so."

"This is an interesting test." Stan murmured. "Would you like to come and see your newest daughter?"

"…May I?" she asked, something softening in her tone.

Stan gave a decisive nod. "You may." Stanley shifted his weight more onto one foot, drawing away from the fire and ushering Shayla to the other side of the fire.

"Sweet stars… she looks so thin." Shayla observed, sounding pained. She looked over the girl worriedly. "How close did we come..?"

"To loosing her?" Cassie asked, making Stan flinch slightly. "Not very close at all." Cassie smiled in a reassuring manner. "The spirit is very resilient, Shayla. You know this. This girl could have endured another three, maybe even four months before she would have passed on." Shayla seemed to consider this before nodding.

"How long before she opens her eyes?"

"A few days. I very seriously doubt that it will take a week's time." Cassie assured.

"Then… she will need you most." Shayla said.

"Yes." Cassie agreed. "For now. Having you and your people near would be ideal though." She elaborated. "It isn't as if you could ever replace her family, but your lifestyle is exactly like her own. Knowing that extended family is near, that they care about her and will mourn with her… that's very important."

"Where's the nearest tribe located?" Stan asked.

Shayla looked pensive for a moment before answering. "The Crater Lake Tribe." She said with a nod. "There are some Bears there as well." She said with a smile.

"Bears?" Seth asked, confused. "What…what's that mean, bears?"

"I did mention that Ferals were of 3 basic breeds, did I not?" Stan said. "Canine, Feline, and Ursine, remember?"

"Yeah but… Wait.. There are Bear Ferals? Like, like, Were-Bears?" Seth asked, sounding completely astounded.

Quil chuckled softly. "Were Bears." he muttered.

"That's what Ursine means, Seth." Alice said gently.

"Well, yeah, but… I mean, I thought those were just names like 'The Wolf Tribe' or something." Seth said, but in truth he really had no idea what Ursine meant.

"No." Shayla explained with a small indulgent smile. "I am of the Wolf tribe because my Feral form is that of a wolf. But there are different Canine tribes as well. There are different breeds of Canine Feral, you see?" She said. "Just like there are different breeds of Feline Ferals and different breeds of Ursine Ferals. A Lion Feral and a Tiger Feral are different breeds within the Feline Breed... you see?"

"…wow." Seth muttered. "Just. Just wow.. I mean… wow." He shook his head and looked between Leah and Jacob.

"We know, Seth." Leah murmured. "Wow." He nodded at her.

Shayla chuckled softly, like that of an indulgent mother. "Forgive me for— how do the children say it? —blowing your mind." Seth nodded at her too. It seemed the only thing he could do was nod as he processed the new information.

"How long can you stay?" Stan asked.

"As long as she needs." Was Shayla's answer. "There are no issues other than this, so I will only need to return to Glacier once this is settled."

"Perhaps we can help make your stay easier." Carlisle offered. Shayla stood quickly, looking at him as though he were a dangerous wild animal that she'd hunted before, but he was behaving in a way she couldn't predict.

"Shayla," Stan began. "This is Carlisle _Cullen_ and some of his family." Stan said. The way he put emphasis on the name 'Cullen' drew the attention of the four Cullens present. Shayla's head tilted to the side slightly, not too unlike that of a curious dog.

"Cullen, you say?" Shayla murmured, recognition dawned on her face before she continued. "I see…" She looked back to Carlisle. "It isn't often I meet a vampire in passing.. Leastwise, one so polite who isn't trying to kill me."

Carlisle let out a breathy nervous chuckle. "Perhaps we could keep up this civility."

"I really _do_ hope so." Shayla said. "Ivory would not be pleased otherwise."

"Who?"

"Ivory doesn't care if it's a matter of defense." Ruben corrected.

"Yes, Ruben, but kicking a hornets' nest and then exterminating the hornets isn't exactly defensive." Stan reprimanded.

"What?" Shayla asked, looking from Stan to Ruben, confused.

"It was just a game of tag." Ruben defended.

"It becomes a problem if the person who is 'it' doesn't realize it's a game." Cassie said with a tiny smile.

Ruben stared at her as if heartbroken. "And here I thought you were the fun one."

Shayla shook her head. "Honestly." She murmured. "I thought your people would know better than to poke a Grizzly with a short stick."

"Hey, hey!" Ruben countered loudly. He pointed at Shayla before speaking with conviction. "My stick is _not_ short." There was a beat of silence in which Stan and Shayla stared at Ruben in uncomprehending shock, before Ben—Ben of all people!—let out a booming laugh. He threw his head back and laughed loud and long. Shayla joined in as well once she'd processed the situation. Cassie was giggling from her spot near the fire, and Stanley shook his head suppressing a smile.

"What was it you were saying, Doctor?" Stan asked in an attempt to regain order.

"Yes… Your sister mentioned that the girl would need to be hydrated and cared for. I have the means to offer you this…"

"We would prefer to keep this issue as private as possible." Shayla said carefully.

"I understand." Carlisle said with a nod. "I wasn't referring to bringing her to a hospital or office. I have everything I need to care for her at my home." He paused, evaluating Shayla. "I understand if bringing her there wouldn't be comfortable, but you would be welcome to stay with her."

Shayla looked to Cassie. "It would probably take less time to use medical means to bring her body back to square one." Cassie admitted.

Shayla looked to Stanley, who only looked back at her. "I… I would like to accept your generous offer." Shayla said, though she didn't sound very confident.

Carlisle, for whatever reason, looked infinitely happier at the outcome. "Perhaps, you could follow us then. Our house is—"

"We know where you are, Doctor." Stanley said. "Return home and explain the situation to the rest of your family. We'll arrive once you've had the chance to prepare." It was odd that Stanley could possibly deliver on those words, but he spoke with such firm decisiveness that it made it sound more believable. Still, both Benjamen and Shayla looked very uneasy.

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><p>I wonder what would be more interesting for the next chapter... Joanna's house, or the Cullen house...<p>

Enjoy? Like? Hate? Nothing? Anything?

Peace Out :)


	8. Chapter 8

OK, this chapter killed me a little :| Not to mention it took forever. I hope you guys are cool with it... Twilight isn't mine, but my characters and concepts are :) Please do enjoy.

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><p>The ride back to Joanna's home was more tense than her entire time at the party. Both Joanna and Embry felt a need to speak, but neither knew how to start or what to say. In the end, the car ride was long and silent.<p>

"Um..." Embry began once the car was safely parked. "Can I... talk to you for a bit?" He asked, very hesitant because he just couldn't name the feeling behind Joanna's eyes.

"Yeah." She said nodding as she opened the door for herself. He noticed that she wasn't exactly meeting his eyes though. That was dangerous. She made a beeline for her door, easily slipping the key to unlock the door and let them inside. She let out a heavy, contented sigh as she set her purse down on the countertop.

"So... uh.. that was... not what I expected." Embry started. She nodded.

"I'm sorry about the family onslaught and everything." She murmured, turning to face him. She put her hands on the counter top and leaned against it.

"No, no. I mean.. they probably made you feel more comfortable." She nodded, the expression on her face suggesting that she was miles away, but at the same time still trying to figure out how to continue. "Listen, Joanna... about the Cullens." Embry began. The name snapped her attention to him.

"Oh. Yeah. I guess I really made an impression there." She said, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, but... Look, there's something I should probably tell you about them." He said sighing. Joanna's gaze sharpened as she stared at him.

"You know." She said completely deadpan, her eyes widening.

"uh.. what?" He asked, freezing in place.

"You know, don't you?"

Embry stared at her in shock as he processed what she was saying. "You know?" He asked astounded. Her mouth dropped open, and he held up a hand. "Wait. Wait... assuming is bad. What do you mean? What do I know or ...what do you know? What do you think I know?"

"You know that the Cullens are vampires!" Joanna practically squealed.

"Holy Christ, you _do_ know..." Embry said slowly. "How the hell do you know that?"

"Oh, please, Embry." Joanna practically growled. It was a little high pitch and squeaky, but it was her version of the noise. "Once you've met a vampire, you kind of remember how to tell them apart." he blinked in shock, processing that. Before he could ask the obvious question that rose from this new knowledge, she continued. "How the hell could you bring me to a party _knowing_ there were vampires there?" she asked, sounding horrified.

He looked away guiltily. "I... I just... the Cullens aren't bad." He started and held up a hand at her incredulous look. "Really. They don't drink human blood at all. They only drink from animals... so, see, they're not dangerous."

"Don't be ridiculous, Embry!" Joanna yelled. "It doesn't matter what their diet is. _All_ vampires are dangerous. That they've managed to alter their diet is admirable, honorable even. But that doesn't change the fact that their world is a dangerous one."

"Okay, I'll give you that, but...but... well, we're all dangerous." He defended. "And how do you know so much about vampires?" He asked. Joanna's face became very pale, her mouth hanging open in a way that suggested that she'd had the wind knocked out of her. Her eyes began to shine with tears. "Oh God.." Embry murmured, slowly walking towards her. "It's _that_ thing isn't it? The _thing_ you can't talk about..." She gave a shaky nod before both hands came up to cover her face. "Hey now." He murmured, taking her into his arms and cradling her carefully against his chest. Her hands grasped at his shirt desperately, and he could do nothing but hold her as she wept openly against him. Her harsh sobs tore at his heart, but he had an idea that she needed this. She needed to just feel whatever it was she was feeling. She needed to know that he was strong enough to hold up under the weight of her sorrow.

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><p>As for the Cullens. Carlisle busied himself setting up supplies and a place for the young girl he would help these very strange people tend to. He left the explanation of the night and the need for his activities to Esme, Jasper, and Alice. He could hear all the questions and reactions, many of which had been <em>very<em> colorful. Both Edward and Rosalie had misgivings about allowing these people into their home. But the fact remained that the offer had already been made and accepted. There was very little to argue about considering that the decision had already been made.

"The fact also remains, that we don't know who or what these people are." he could hear Edward saying, no doubt in response to his thoughts. He did a quick double check to make sure that his supplies were all at hand and fully stocked. The girl would get a strong hit of IV fluid along with many vitamins that would help to build her back up.

"Perhaps so, but there's nothing that can be done now." Carlisle said as he reentered the family room.

"Besides, this is actually ideal." Jasper said.

"How so?" Rosalie asked, looking confused.

"Huh.. I hadn't thought of that." Edward said.

"They're going to be _here_." Jasper explained for everyone who wasn't Edward. "We don't know who they are or where they come from, but we can find out. The longer they remain here, the more chances we have to learn."

Emmett nodded. "Makes sense."

Edward's head turned sharply, looking out their grand windows to the tree line. "They're here." he said. Walking up their driveway was Stanley and Cassie. Cassie was carrying the girl in her arms. Behind them were Ruben (carrying Dinah), and Benjamin. It was odd to see Cassie carrying the girl when there were so many men around who could probably carry her just as well. Still, it didn't appear that she was struggling with her burden. Esme rushed to the front door to usher them inside.

"Hello, again. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you very much for offering us a place to stay." Stanley said cordially.

"It's our pleasure." Carlisle said. "Please, if you'll follow me. I have a space set up for her." Cassie nodded, following Carlisle into the other room. He motioned towards the bed with a nod, and Cassie hurried over to lay the girl down on it. Stanley hung back, watching from where he was, and the others seemed to be following his lead.

"How's Dinah?" He asked, not bothering to look at Ruben.

"Uh… She's fine. Still sleeping." He murmured.

"You're sister, right?" the question came from Edward.

"Yes." Ruben said. "She'll probably wake up soon enough." He said with a sigh.

Esme chuckled softly. "You mean she isn't as angelic when she's awake?" she teased.

His face became comically pensive, as though he were trying to wrack his brain for the right way to respond and not finding anything. "Uh… well, angelic isn't quite how I'd describe her, but… well, it isn't as if she's a bad child."

"All children are complicated." Ben murmured.

"That is very true." Stanley said with a nod.

"Tell me about it." Bella said with a chuckle, Edward smirked at that.

"This one's a little preoccupied with things that I'm certain she shouldn't be." He said eying his sister doubtfully. "I'm not sure if it's a phase, or if she's super aware, or just smarter than I was at that age…" he said with a shrug.

"Where's your other friend, that Shayla woman?" Jasper asked.

"She had to go back to her pack and reposition them." Stanley replied, finally taking his gaze off his sister's back. "I imagine they're all… around." Something about the way he said that seemed unsettling. His eyes went to Edward. "You haven't asked the question I assumed you'd ask."

Edward's eyes narrowed slightly, and he and Stanley stared each other down before Edward's eyes widened in shock. "Why can't I hear any of you?"

Stanley smiled, nodding. "That's the question." He said, looking back to Cassie. She was observing Carlisle as he began an IV, absently finger-combing the girl's hair.

"Do you intend to answer it?" Rosalie asked. Stanley's eyes snapped back to her. He blinked once, slowly as if he had all the time in the world to think about it. Something about that really irritated Rosalie, and she wasn't even the one most concerned about the answer.

"It's very simple. Edward reads the thoughts of humans without the capability to shield their thoughts." Ruben answered with a shrug. "We're on a different frequency." Rosalie blinked out of her glare, still confused.

"Huh." Stanley murmured softly, cocking his head up so that he was staring off at the ceiling. "Never thought of it that way." He looked down at Ruben. "The very simplistic way that you explain things never ceases to amaze me." Ruben practically beamed from the praise.

"Actually, that doesn't answer the question at all." Rosalie groused.

"Let's put it this way then." Ruben said. "Edward is a dog." The Cullens stared at him in shock before individual reactions began. Alice giggled, Emmet elbowed Edward. "Wait, wait, lemme finish." Ruben continued. "Edward's a dog. All humans are dogs. Different breeds of dogs, but all dogs. And he can hear every other dog's thoughts. But here's the thing." He pointed to the three of them. "We aren't dogs."

Edward's eyes widened slightly. "You aren't human."

"Not even a little." Ben said with a nod, looking out the windows.

"Dude…" Emmet said, looking at Edward. "How do you get 'not human' from that?"

"Because I can read 'the thoughts of humans'. If, as a dog, I can hear all the other dogs, but they aren't dogs, then they aren't human."

"How unsettling." Rosalie grumbled.

Ruben actually seemed hurt by this. "Thanks." He huffed out a sigh. "You know, I think I enjoyed this conversation with the wolves better."

"I'm not even sure if it registered with the wolves." Ben muttered.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"The conversation we had with the wolves about monsters." Ruben reminded. "You were there… weren't you? I said 'our species isn't human', remember?"

Alice blinked. "That's right… You were talking about void, and that seemed more pressing at the time."

Ruben nodded. "True. At that time, the void _was_ more pressing." He said. He looked down to Dinah who was resting peacefully in his arms. It was then that Carlisle joined them again.

"I think your sister would prefer to stay with her." He said to Stanley, motioning back over his shoulder. Cassie seemed quite content to sit at the poor girl's bedside. Stanley nodded absently.

"Dinah's waking up." He murmured.

Ruben looked down to find his sister's face squinting slightly. Her eyes fluttered opened before she looked up at him.

"Did we live through the night?" she asked sleepily.

Ruben smiled softly. "So far so good… but the night isn't quite over."

She leaned up, rubbing at her face. She looked around and then bent backwards, her back arching as she stared at the people behind her. She stared at the Cullens, and they stared back at her. After a moment, she sprung upright again.

"Are we at the Cullen house?" she asked.

"We are." Ruben confirmed. She looked over and saw Stanley, and her face blossomed into joy.

"Stanley!" She cheered. Stanley smiled and took her from Ruben's arms.

"Oh sure, _I'm_ her actually brother, but she comes unglued for Stanley." Ruben pouted, crossing his arms. Whether or not Dinah actually heard him didn't matter since she didn't acknowledge him.

"Do we have a new sister, Stanley?" Dinah asked.

"Not exactly." Stanley soothed. "You see, the girl's a wolf feral, and that means—"

"Shayla?" Dinah asked, slightly excited.

Stanley nodded. "Shayla."

Dinah looked to Ruben. "Can I go dance with the wolves?" she asked excitedly.

"Easy there, Kevin Costner." Ruben murmured. "It's overcast, I doubt they'll do much dancing tonight. Do you remember what we talked about?" He asked. Dinah looked at him blankly. "Shayla and Rachel are the wolves that you can approach. Anyone else in simple human form is okay, but if they're wolves then you stay away from them." Dinah nodded heavily. Ruben motioned with his head towards the door. "What are you still doing here? Off with you."

Dinah gasped in delight before using Stan's shoulder as a spring board and vaulting over his head. "Yay!" She cried with glee as she dashed out of the house.

"Honestly…kids these days." Ruben grumbled.

"Quite a ball of energy." Alice observed with a smile.

Ruben chuckled softly. "She'll be a great dancer someday." He said, glancing out the window. "Ah, there's one of the girls now." He murmured still looking out the window. The Cullens followed his gaze, spotting a young girl running to greet Dinah. Dinah twirled around her and the girl spun about, letting her arms swing out wide. She was tan-skinned with rich dark brown hair, but her face was hard to see from this distance. She wore buckskin pants and a long buckskin tunic with a belt tied about her waist.

"Goodness…" Esme murmured, staring at the young figure. "But she's just a baby."

"Most of them all are." Stanley informed. "Their youngest is only 12 and their oldest isn't even 17 yet." He shrugged. "Female ferals are known to change earlier than males. A pack of girls will leave home and travel through their territory until all the members have successfully transformed. There are seven girls under Shayla's care currently and only two have managed their transformation. Rachel and Rebakka are not only capable of transforming; they can maintain control of themselves without giving over to their inner animal."

"There's 7 of them?" Ben asked.

Stanley nodded towards the tree line, where four more girls similarly dressed to the one dancing with Dinah were running into the clearing to join in the dance. "Rachel's the leader of the group, of course. Rebakka has transformed fully and can control herself. The twins, Analee and Lilliann, haven't transformed yet, but they're getting close… as is Emily. Dinah's dance partner, Brianna, is the youngest, so she might have some time. Sarah.. well, they aren't sure about Sarah's exact age, so they're not sure when it may happen for her." Stanley's face became somewhat stern. "It _will_ be soon."

Ruben eyed Stanly critically. "Soon, you say?... as in 'this year' soon? Or 'this moon phase' soon?"

Stanley closed his eyes for a long moment before responding. "…considering all the variables… I'd say closer to this moon phase, actually." He finished, opening his eyes. Ruben looked over to Benjamin, who was already on his way to the door.

"I'll clear the clouds." He murmured as he left. As soon as he'd closed the door behind him the clouds began to dissipate, letting the moonlight illuminate the landscape. The girls in the field cried out in joy and danced, twirling and leaping in the light of the full moon. Benjamin settled himself against a tree in the tree line and watched. He spotted a few of the Quileute wolves hanging back in the woods, watching with careful curiosity.

"ah.." Ruben blinked, his red eyes widening, his pupil lengthening into a slit and expanding. "There they are." He looked to Stanley. "Both Rebakka and Rachel are in the trees… like, up in the trees."

"Of course they are." Stanley said as if that were obvious.

"Since when do wolves climb trees?" Ruben asked, and Stanley chuckled at him.

"Why are there only girls?" Rosalie asked, looking over the young girls in the clearing.

"… Transforming is difficult at first." Stanley explained. "Not only is it very painful, the instincts that were long buried suddenly surface, and in that moment a feral is nothing but…well, feral." He paused, almost as if he were gathering more facts in his own head before continuing. "They've found that it's easier to keep the sexes separated until they can learn to focus and.. well.."

"Not tear into anything that could pose a potential threat?" Ruben asked.

"Yes. That." Stanley said with a nod. "For whatever reasons, the sexes tend to be very…antagonistic towards each other. Even the presence of a young male feral will cause any females who've shifted to get more aggressive… It can be very dangerous."

Emmet suddenly shifted forward, looking keenly at the trees. "Uh… is that..?"

Before he could finished his question an enormous werewolf launched from the tree line and landed near the girls in the clearing. The girls clapped, yapping and howling as she stood to her full height. She was well over seven foot tall from the looks of it, her fur thick, almost shaggy making her shape seems almost sexless. It was a strange, dark coppery color… like an old penny. Her muzzle was long with jagged teeth gleaming as she opened her maw. Her ears twitched and her gaze turned towards the house and she eyed the inhabitants carefully.

"Is that Shayla?" Carlisle asked, fascinated by the creature in the clearing.

"No. That's Rachel." Ruben said.

Stanley nodded. "She's going to be 17 this fall."

"She'll be the leader of her pack one day too, mark my words." Ruben said with a grin.

Stanley nodded. "That is most likely."

"Why? 'Cause she's so big?" Emmet asked.

"Not quite. She's not small, that's certain, but she's not especially big. Shayla's much bigger, but she's an adult."

"And it's because of her skills, really." Ruben said with a smile. "Rachel's a leader. She's born with that, but what no one counted on was her possessing innate magic as well. It's not on par with Shayla's, but.. well, Rachel's young. She's got time to improve her skills."

"It's very rare in the Feral community for someone to be a very skilled warrior, a very skilled hunter and also possess a connection to magic." Stanley explained. "And that's not even counting how involved Rachel is with her community. Before they all went on this journey, she was counted as a responsible young lady who took care of her youngers and tended kindly to her elders. She understands her community and how best to serve each of its members." Stanley's gaze came away from the wolf in the clearing, who was happily letting Dinah dance along the length of her arms. "A person like that, with great skill and equally great charisma not to mention the combination of power and humility, always becomes a great leader." He said with an easy smile.

His head whipped forward again as a wolf howled loudly in the distance. The girls stopped dancing, the enormous werewolf in their midst turning towards the sound.

"That's one of the Quileute wolves…" Ruben murmured absently, his gaze still on his sister though she'd stopped dancing to listen along with the others in the clearing. Many other wolves joined in, howling perhaps as a response to the sound.

Edward gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

"Edward? What is it?" Carlisle asked.

* * *

><p>Embry never felt more content or more awkward in his life. After dissolving into sobs Joanna had cried herself to sleep. He'd carried her to her room, but…well, she hadn't wanted to let go. And he'd have more luck moving Mount Everest with chopsticks than actually walking away from her when she was clinging to him. So, here he was, lying beside her, in her room…in her bed. He hoped to God this wouldn't make things weird.<p>

She snuggled against his chest, causing warmth to bloom in his throat (his heart had been there since the car ride here). Her eyes blinked open groggily, and she stared up at him.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey." She murmured. She sighed and sat up, looking around.

"What are you looking for?"

"The cat."

He looked at her in confusion. "What cat?"

"The one that crapped in my mouth." She said blandly.

Embry stared in confusion for all of 4 seconds before snorting on a laugh. She chuckled tiredly as well. After the moment had passed and silence settled, she started speaking in a strange monotone voice.

"Sophie was my best friend." She said softly. "She's Benjamin's little sister." She explained. "So, in a weird sort of way, she's family too." She smiled softly. "She fell in love with Russell, Ruben's twin brother, when she was young… or she always was in love with him. It's hard to really tell when their relationship really began… It feels like they just always _were_." Her smile slowly began to fade. "It was a warm day out when we last got together for a girl's day… We'd been shopping, we'd had lunch, and we were just walking back to the car and… Sophie went rigid." Joanna shook her head. "She said we needed to get back _now_. That something was wrong." Joanna's eyes began to get glassy, and Embry felt that while she was looking at him she wasn't here with him. "In my family, you kind of learn that even if you can't explain intuition you should just follow it. Sophie kept getting worse and worse… she was in pain, she felt dizzy, she couldn't breathe properly, everything seemed to be getting worse and worse and I kept wondering why I wasn't driving her to the hospital instead of home… But she kept saying that we needed to go home." Joanna swallowed hard. "We got there, opened the door, and there was Russell… what was left of him, anyway. He was in a bloody heap, dying on the floor. Sophie started crawling to him…" She shook her head, her left had coming up to grip her right bicep. "And before I could even gasp or scream, something grabbed my arm and threw me across the room." She tried so hard to control her expression, but her jaw trembled from the memory. She could hear Sophie sobbing in gasps of air as she crawled to Russell. It was the most horrible sound she'd yet to hear. "I hit the wall so hard that I landed about three feet away from it." Her lips trembled in an ironic smirk. "I bounced." She said before swallowing. "I didn't feel my arm fracture… I remember it hurting when I tried to lift myself up. I looked over at Sophie and Russell… She had wrapped herself around him. He looked at her, and he held her gaze… and then they both died."

Embry had been slowly levering himself up onto his elbow as this tale got worse and worse, but when she stopped and he realized there was very little else to the tale he stared at her in shock. He yanked himself upright into a sitting position so that he could sit facing her.

"What… How? I don't… They just… both of them? They just died?" he asked.

Joanna nodded. "I could just make out the outline of a man in the dark… he had such bright, vivid red eyes." She shook her head. "And all I could think was, 'they left me, and now we're _all_ gonna die here'." Her hand came up to tangle in her hair, to push it back from her face. "I just… stared at the two of them in shock, and I realized that… that _he_ was doing the same thing. He was _fascinated_. Completely baffled by what had happened."

"I would be too." Embry reasoned. "A perfectly healthy person doesn't just drop dead because someone else does."

Joanna nodded. "Stanley says… That it was because of their bond. That some people love each other so strongly, that the bond is so significant for them, that it _can't_ be severed." She licked her chapped lips and dragged in a breath "He said it's how she knew something was wrong. They were tethered together so tightly that neither of them could live without the other." She laughed without humor. "I guess I should be grateful… without that, I probably wouldn't have survived that incident."

Embry's gazed sharpened on her face. "The guy in the room was a vampire…" he assumed.

Joanna nodded. "And he was distracted enough by Russell and Sophie that he practically forgot about me. He just stood there and stared, and then.. and then Ruben came out of the dark and ripped his damn leg off and started beating him with it." Joanna looked down and sniffed loudly. "I've never seen him so… so visceral." She shook her head. "He was so hurt and angry that he just kept tearing into that monster…" Joanna looked back to Embry, her face awash with pain and abject shock. "He kept… Ruben just kept _toying_ with the vampire…He let himself be swallowed by the pain he felt, because.." she winced, a tiny whimper whining out of her. "Because, he loved them _both_… He loved his little brother, and he loved Sophie… He loved them both enough, that he didn't even try to pursue Sophie… even though he loved her as much as Russell had. But he was so wild and raging, that I didn't… I thought … The vampire and Ruben… I couldn't tell them apart. And I was nothing but this tiny little ball of fear."

Embry leaned forward, wrapping Joanna in his arms and letting her mourn again. He let her have a breath… because he could tell that she wasn't going to be moving forward just yet.

"I… I just lay there." She said, snuggled against his chest. "I couldn't _do_ anything… I just lay there.."

"What happened?"

"Benjamin came too… he and Ruben reduced the vampire to fine dust…" She let out a shuddering breath. "Stan and Zach showed up a little later with Cassie and Rhonda in tow… They were angry at Ruben and Ben for not tending to me first." Joanna shook her head. "To be honest, I didn't mind." She said letting out a somewhat hysterical chuckle. She swallowed hard, trying to keep herself together. "I didn't see anything that happened next. Cassie put me to sleep so that they could heal me." She stared out at the empty space next to the bed. "They told me that… they arranged for it to appear as though Russell and Sophie had died due to smoke inhalation." She said, with another loud sniff. "Officially, a fire had started due to electrical failure…burnt the entire house down." She let out a hefty breath. "When I was well, I locked myself away in my apartment… multiple locks on the doors, covered the windows with newspapers…. By the time my family realized what I was doing, I was so deep in my paranoia that I fought tooth and nail with anyone that came and tried to help me."

"What… What happened?"

Joanna chuckled. "Stanley happened. He showed up, knocked me out and brought me back to Mama's." she shook her head. "Ruben was there, waiting for me to wake up." Her eyes closed. "Suffice to say… we helped each other…" She let out a slow sigh. "I'm sorry, Embry. I'm sure the Cullens are good to you, but… I don't know if I can be _very_ close to vampires so soon."

Embry swallowed hard, nodding. "Okay… so, that's a very good reason." He said. Joanna almost-almost-almost smiled, but she couldn't quite work it up. "Uh… do you want me to stay, or..?"

"You can go if you'd like." Joanna said. "I think I could use a breather."

Embry nodded. "If you need me…"

This time Joanna did smile. "I'll call you later." She assured. "Just… I think I need to let myself de-stress."

Embry smiled and slid off the bed. "I'll look forward to hearing from you then." He said, and showed himself out. It felt as though it was all he could do to keep himself breathing. The minute that he entered the dark of the forest, he let himself transform and let out a soul-wrenching howl. He just couldn't keep all this bottled up anymore.

* * *

><p>...yeah...yeah, that's pretty much it for now -..- I need chocolate and tissues and medicine in case this gives me a sinus infection. At least everything's out in the open... I mean... everything that was up with Joanna... peace out!<p> 


End file.
